nc3 


'^^-- 


JO 
o 


/•■^^ 


\      K 


;^i^' 


.J,-- 


Z/6^/ 


University  of  California. 


OIKT    OP^ 


/ 


^ 


DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 


FLOEIDA: 


ITS 


CLIMATE,  SOIL,  PRODUCTIONS, 


^CkKM^^"^ 


AGRICULTURAL  CAPABILITIES 


3290—1 


WASHINGTOK: 

GOVERNMENT   PRINTING   OFFICE. 

18  8  2. 


i/<^«/ 


FLORIDA:  ITS  CLIMATE,  SOIL.  PRODUCTIONS,  AND 
AGRICULTURAL  CAPABILITIES. 


Florida,  from  its  first  discovery  in  1512,  has  been  in  au  unsettled 
condition,  conquered  and  reconquered,  ceded  and  receded,  harassed  by 
Indian  wars,  and  when  just  entering  on  a  period  of  stability  and  pros- 
perity plung(^d  into  a  civil  contest,  which  decimated  and  impoverished 
her  i)eople.  Ceded  to  the  United  States  in  1821,  and  admitted  as  a 
State  in  1815,  her  resources  have  remained  latent  and  undeveloped,  and 
her  60,000  square  miles  of  territory  comparatively  wild  and  uninhabited 
until  about  the  close  of  the  late  civil  war.  Since  that  period  the  intelli- 
gence of  the  world  has  been  directed  to  this  favored  land,  and  thousands 
have  annually  sought  health  and  pleasure  and  new  homes  within  her 
borders.  Other  thousands  will  come,  when  informed  of  the  advantages 
and  attractions  of  this  productive  semi-tropical  State,  only  awaiting 
capital  and  industry  to  render  it  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  pros- 
X)erous  of  the  Federal  Union. 

The  peninsular  portion  of  the  State,  known  as  East  and  South  Florida, 
is  some  300  miles  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and  averages  about  100 
in  width,'  gradually  narrowing  towards  its  southern  terminus.  The 
Gulf  Stream  on  its  eastern  coast  causes  the  trade  winds  of  the  Atlantic 
to  sweep  over  the  land  from  east  to  west  by  day,  while  the  returning 
cool  breezes  from  the  Gulf  refresh  the  land  by  night.  These  daily  breezes 
constantly  purify  and  \ivify  the  atmosphere,  and  i)revent  oppressive 
heat  or  sultriness. 

Generally  the  lands  bordering  on  the  ocean  and  Gulf  are  level  and  at 
no  great  elevation  above  tide- water ;  midway  there  is  a  table-land  ele- 
vation, reaching  nearly  to  the  everglades.  The  extreme  southern  por- 
tion is  low,  though,  from  recent  surveys,  it  is  found  tliat  it  can  be  eftect- 
ually  drained  and  made  available  for  cultivation. 

No  State  in  the  Union  has  such  an  extent  of  coast,  being  nearly  1,200 
miles  in  length,  extending  from  Fernandina  on  the  north  to  Pensacola 
on  the  west,  indented  every  few  miles  by  large  bays,  running  inland  in 
many  places  from  ten  to  thirty  miles,  with  large  rivers  like  the  Saint 
John's,  Oclawaha,Kissimmee,  Indian,  Halifax,  Saint  Mary's,  Suwannee, 
and  Apalachicola,  navigable  from  north  to  south,  and  easterly  and 
westerly  between  the  Gulf  and  Atlantic  Ocean.  There  are  other  con- 
necting navigable  streams  in  all  parts  of  the  State,  and  lakes,  large  and 
small,  scattered  and  grouped  together,  all  of  which  furnish  local  trans- 
portation facilities,  and  abound  in  excellent  varieties  of  fish  j  manycon- 

3 


4  FLORIDA  :    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

nect  with  navigable  streams,  and  all  can  be  easily  connected  by  short 
canals  or  railroads  with  each  other  and  the  great  arteries  of  water  lead- 
ing to  the  sea  and  Gulf.  The  interior  lakes  of  Florida,  large  and  small,, 
is  one  of  its  remarkable  features.  The  largest  of  these  is  Lake  Okee- 
chobee, situated  in  the  middle  of  the  table-lands  of  the  peninsula,  and 
contains  an  area  of  1,000  square  miles,  without  visible  outlet  to  the  sea. 

The  soil  in  the  greater  portion  of  the  State  is  sandy,  except  in  the 
hill  lands  and  hammocks,  where  large  portions  of  clay  and  alluvium  are 
found.  The  sand  is  not  the  sharp,  siliceous  sand  of  the  ocean,  or  resem- 
bling the  sandy  lands  of  other  States;  this  soil  has  more  or  less  of  loam 
and  a  large  percentage  of  lime  and  organic  remains,  giving*  it  much  fer- 
tility. The  country  is  well  watered,  not  only  by  its  larger  and  smaller 
rivers  and  lakes,  but  by  innumerable  creeks  and  springs.  Springs  of 
great  volume  are  found  in  every  portion  of  the  State,  some'of  such  mag- 
nitude that  they  form  navigable  rivers  from  their  source ;  of  such  are 
the  Blue  Springs,  in  Jackson  County,  in  the  west;  AVakuUa  Springs,  in 
Wakulla  County;  Blue  Springs,  in  Hernando  County,  in  the  middle; 
Silver  Springs,  in  Marion  County,  in  the  east;  the  very  large  Blue 
Spring  on  the  Saint  John's,  in  Volusia  County ;  the  Green  Cove  Springs^ 
in  Clay  County,  on  the  shore  of  the  Saint  John's;  also  Clay  Spring,  in 
Orange  County.  Some  of  these  are  medicinal — white  sulphur,  iron,  &c. 
Good  water,  so  universally  desired,  is  found  easily  at  a  depth  of  from 
eight  to  fifty  feet,  according  to  locality,  generally  from  twelve  to  twenty 
feet,  but,  through  the  country,  the  many  lakes,  and  springs,  and  branches 
afford  ample  supply  for  house  and  farm  purposes.  If  cistern  water  is 
preferred,  the  average  rainfall,  being  from  forty-eight  to  flfty-fqur  inches^ 
annually,  insures  a  supply.  The  distribution  of  rivers,  creeks,  lakes,, 
and  springs  is  not  only  large,  but  remarkably  uniform  throughout  the 
State.  Pine  lands  (pitch  and  yellow  pine)  form  the  basis  of  Florida. 
These  lands  are  usually  divided  into  three  classes,  denoting  first,  second,, 
and  third  rate  pine  lands. 

That  which  is  denominated  ''first-rate  pine  land"  in  Florida  has^ 
nothing  similar  to  it  in  any  of  the  other  States.  Its  surface  is  covered 
for  several  inches  deep  with  a  dark  vegetable  mold,  beneath  which,  to 
the  depth  of  several  feet,  is  a  chocolate-colored  sandy  loam,  mixed  for 
the  most  part  with  limestone  pebbles,  and  resting  upon  a  substratum  of 
marl,  clay,  or  limestone  rock.  The  fertility  and  durability  of  this  descrip- 
tion of  land  may  be  estimated  from  the  well-known  fact  that  it  has  in. 
several  districts  yielded  during  fourteen  years  of  successive  cultivation? 
without  the  aid  of  manure,  four  hundred  pounds  of  Sea  Island  cotton 
to  the  acre.  These  lands  are  still  as  productive  as  ever ;  so  that  the 
limit  of  their  durability  is  yet  unknown.  The  ''  second-rate  pine  "  lands,^ 
which  form  the  largest  proportion  of  Florida,  are  all  productive.  These 
lands  afford  fine  natural  pasturage  ;  they  are  heavilj^  timbered  with  the 
best  species  of  pitch  and  yellow  pine.  They  are  for  the  most  part  high, 
rolling,  healthy,  and  well  watered.    They  are  generally  based  upon 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  5 

uiarl,  clay,  or  limestoDe.  They  will  produce  for  several  years  without 
the  aid  of  manure,  and,  when  fertilized,  they  will  yield  two  thousand 
pounds  of  the  best  quality  of  sugar  to  the  acre,  or  about  three  hundred 
pounds  of  Sea  Island  cotton.  They  will  also  produce  rice,  tobacco,  oats, 
-corn,  rye,  and  all  the  vegetable  varieties,  as  well  as  the  various  tropical 
fruits,  which  render  them  more  valuable  than  the  best  bottom  lands  in 
the  more  northern  States. 

The  lands  of  the  "  third  rate,"  or  most  inferior  class,  are  by  no  means 
worthless  under  the  climate  of  Florida.  This  class  of  lands  may  be 
divided  into  two  orders ;  the  one  comprising  high,  rolling,  sandy  dis- 
tricts, which  are  sparsely  covered  with  a  stunted  growth  of  ^'black- 
jtjck"  and  pine  ;  the  other  embracing  low,  flat,  swampj'  regions,  which 
are  frequently  studded  with  "bay  galls,"  and  are  occasionally  inundated, 
but  which  are  covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation  and  generally  with 
valuable  timber.  The  former  of  these,  it  is  now  ascertained,  owing  to 
its  calcareous  soil,  is  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  the  Sisal  hemp, 
which  is  a  valuable  tropical  production.  This  plant  (the  Agava  Sicili' 
■ana),  and  the  Agave  Mexicana  hemp,  also  known  as  the  maguay,  the 
pulque  plant,  the  century  plant,  &c.,  have  both  been  introduced  into 
Florida,  and  they  both  grow  in  great  perfection  on  the  poorest  lands  of 
the  country.  As  these  plants  derive  their  chief  support  from  the  atmos- 
jjhere,  they  will,  like  the  common  air-jjlant,  preserve  their  vitality  for 
many  months  when  left  out  of  the  ground. 

These  lands,  besides  being  valuable  for  their  timber  and  the  naval 
stores  which  they  will  produce,  afford  an  excellent  range  for  cattle,  and 
are  susceptible  of  cultivation  in  the  various  productions,  when  properly 
ditched  and  drained. 

There  is  one  general  feature  in  the  topogra^^hy  of  Florida  which  no 
other  country  in  the  United  States  possesses,  and  which  affords  a  great 
security  to  the  health  of  its  inhabitants.  It  is  this :  that  the  pine  lands 
which  form  the  basis  of  the  country,  and  which  are  almost  universally 
healthy,  are  nearly  everywhere  studded,  at  intervals  of  a  few  miles, 
with  hammock  lands  of  the  richest  quality.  These  hammocks  are  not, 
as  is  generally  supi)osed,  low,  wet  lands ;  they  never  require  ditching 
or  draining;  they  vary  in  extent  from  20  acres  to  40,000  acres,  and  will 
probably  average  about  500  acres  each.  Hence,  the  inhabitants  have 
it  everywhere  in  their  power  to  select  residences  in  the  pine  lands,  at 
such  convenient  distances  from  the  hammocks  as  will  enable  them  to 
cultivate  the  latter  without  endangering  their  health,  if  it  should  so 
happen  that  any  of  the  hammocks  proved  to  be  less  healthy  than  the 
pine  woods. 

Exi)erience  in  Florida  has  satisfactorily  shown  that  residences  on-ly 
half  a  mile  distant  from  cultivated  hammocks  are  entirely  exempt  from 
malarial  diseases,  and  that  the  negroes  who  cultivate  those  hammocks 
and  retire  at  night  to  pine-land  residences,  maintain  perfect  health. 
Indeed,  it  is  found  that  residences  in  the  hammocks  themselves  are 


b  FLORIDA  :    ITS    CLIMATE,    SO: 

generally  perfectly  healthy  after  they  have  been  a  few  years  cleared. 
Newly-cleared  lands  are  sometimes  attended  with  the  development  of 
more  or  less  malaria.  In  Florida  the  diseases  which  result  from  these 
clearings  are  generally  of  the  mildest  type  (simple  intermittent  fever), 
while  in  nearly  all  the  Southern  States  they  are  most  frequently  of  a 
severe  grade  of  bilious  fever. 

The  topographical  feature  here  noted,  namely,  a  general  interspersiou 
of  rich  hammocks,  surrounded  by  high,  dr3%  rolling,  healthy  pine  woods, 
is  an  advantage  which  no  other  State  in  the  Union  enjoys;  and  Florida 
forms  in  this  respect  a  striking  contrast  with  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  and 
Texas,  whose  sugar  and  cotton  lands  are  generally  surrounded  hj  vast 
alluvial  regions,  subject  to  frequent  inundations,  so  that  it  is  impossible 
to  obtain  within  many  miles  of  them  a  healthy  residence. 

The  lands  which  in  Florida  are,  par  excellence,  denominated  *'rich 
lands,"  are,  first,  the  ''  swamps  lands";  second,  the  '^  low  hammock  lands"; 
third,  the  "high  hammocks";  and  fourth,  the  "first-rate  pine,  oak,  and 
hickory  lands." 

The  swamp  lands  are  unquestionably  the  most  durably  rich  lands  in 
the  country.  They  are  the  most  recently  formed  lands,  and  are  still 
annually  receiving  additions  to  their  surface.  They  are  intrinsically  the 
most  valuable  lands  in  Florida,  being  as  fertile  as  the  hammocks  and 
more  durable.  They  are  evidently  alluvial  and  of  recent  formation, 
and  occupy  natural  depressions  of  basins  which  have  been  gradually 
tilled  up  by  deposits  of  vegetable  debris,  &c.,  washed  in  from  the  adja- 
cent and  higher  lands.  Ditching  is  indispensable  to  all  of  them  in  their 
preparation  for  successful  cultivation.  Properly  j^repared,  however, 
their  inexhaustible  fertility  sustains  a  succession  of  the  most  exhaust- 
ing crops  with  astonishing  vigor.  The  greatest  yield  of  sugar  ever 
realized  in  Florida  was  four  hogsheads  per  acre,  produced  on  a  planta- 
tion on  Indian  Eiver,  on  which  is  now  located  the  large  orange  grove 
which  has  given  character  to  the  oranges  of  Florida — the  Dummitt 
Grove,  recently  purchased  by  an  Italian  nobleman,  the  Duke  de  Castel- 
luccia.  Sugar  cane  is.  here  instanced  as  a  measure  of  the  fertility  of 
the  soil,  because  it  is  one  of  the  most  exhausting  crops  known,  and  is 
generally  grown  without  rest  or  rotation.  It  is  not,  however,  a  fair 
criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  the  relative  fertility  of  lands  situated  in 
diiferent  climates,  for  we  find  on  the  richest  lands  in  Louisiana  the  crop 
of  sugar  per  acre  is  not  more  than  one  hogshead,  or  about  half  that  of 
Bast  Florida. 

This  great  disparity  in  the  product  of  those  countries  is  accounted 
for,  not  by  any  inferiority  in  the  lands  of  Louisiana  or  Texas,  but  from 
the  fact  that  the  early  incursions  of  frost  in  both  these  States  render  it 
necessary  to  cut  the  cane  in  October,  which  is  long  before  it  has  reached 
maturity,  while  in  East  Florida  it  is  permitted  to  stand  without  fear  of 
frost  till  December,  or  till  such  time  as  it  is  fully  matured.     It  is  well 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  7 

known  that  it  "tassels"  in  East  Florida,  and  it  never  does  so  in  either 
Louisiana  or  Texas.  When  cane  "tassels"  it  is  evidence  of  its  having 
reached  full  maturity. 

In  consequence  of  the  heavy  outlay  of  capital  required  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  this  description  of  land  for  cultivation,  and  from  the  facility  of 
obtaining  hammock  land,  which  requires  no  ditching  or  draining,  swamp 
lands  have  been  but  little  sought  after  by  persons  engaged  in  planting 
in  Florida,  and  there  is  now  at  least  a  million  of  acres  of  the  best  de- 
scription of  this  land  vacant  in  the  country,  which  can  be  secured  at 
less  than  two  dollars  per  acre. 

Low  hammocks,  from  the  fact  of  their  partaking  of  the  nature  of 
hammocks  and  swamps,  and  sometimes  termed  ''swammock,"are  not  in- 
ferior to  swamp  lands  in  fertility,  but  perhaps  are  not  quite  as  durable. 
They  are  nearly  always  lev^el,  and  have  a  soil  of  greater  tenacity  than 
that  of  the  high  hammocks.  Some  ditching  is  necessary  in  many  of 
them.  The  soil  is  always  deep.  They  are  also  extremely  well  adapted 
to  the  growth  of  the  cane,  as  has  been  well  attested  by  the  many  plan- 
tations which  were  formerly  in  operation  here  on  this  description  of  laud. 
There  is  not  so  large  a  proportion  of  low  hammock  as  there  is  of  swamp 
lands. 

High  hammocks  are  the  lands  in  the  greatest  repute  in  Florida.  These 
differ  from  low^  hammocks,  in  occupying  higher  ground,  and  in  generally 
presenting  an  undulating  surface.  They  are  formed  of  a  fine  vegetable 
mold,  mixed  with  a  sandy  loam,  in  many  places  two  feet  deep,  and 
resting  in  most  cases  on  a  substratum  of  clay,  marl,  or  limestone.  It 
will  be  readily  understood  by  any  one  at  all  acquainted  with  agriculture, 
that  such  a  soil,  in  such  a  climate  as  Florida,  must  be  extremely  pro- 
ductive. This  soil  scarcely  ev^er  suffers  from  too  much  wet,  nor  does 
drought  affect  it  in  the  same  degree  as  other  lands.  High  hammock 
lands  produce,  with  but  little  labor  or  cultivation,  all  the  crops  of  the 
country  in  abundance.  Such  lands  have  no  tendency  to  break  up  in 
heavy  masses,  nor  are  they  infested  with  pernicious  weeds  or  grasses. 
Their  extraordinary  fertility  and  productiveness  may  be  estimated  by 
the  fact  that  in  several  well-known  instances  in  Marion  County  three 
hogsheads  of  sugar  have  been  made  per  acre  on  this  description  of  land, 
after  it  had  been  in  cultivation  six  years  in  successiv^e  crops  of  corn, 
without  the  aid  of  manure. 

To  sum  up  its  advantages,  it  requires  no  other  preparation  than  clear- 
ing and  plowing  to  fit  it  at  once  for  the  greatest  possible  production  of 
any  kind  of  crop  adapted  to  the  climate.  In  unfavorable  seasons  it  is 
much  more  certain  to  produce  a  good  crop  than  other  kinds  of  land,  from 
the  fact  that  it  is  less  affected  by  exclusively  dry  or  wet  weather.  It 
can  be  cultivated  with  much  less  labor  than  any  other  lands,  being  re- 
markably mellow,  and  its  vicinity  is  generally  high  and  healthy.  These 
reasons  are  sufficient  to  entitle  it  to  the  estimation  in  which  it  is  held 


^'^*^ 


8  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

over  all  other  lauds.  There  are,  besides  the  lands  already  noticed,  ex- 
tensive tracks  of  savanna  lands,  which  approximate  in  character,  text- 
ure of  the  soil,  and  period  and  mode  of  formation,  to  the  swamp  lands, 
differing  only  in  being  destitute  of  timber.  These  savannas  yield  an 
immense  crop  of  grass,  which  if  cut  and  properly'  cured  would  afford  a 
quality  of  hay  equal  to  the  marsh  hay  of  the  Northw  est. 

In  Middle  Florida,  the  counties  of  Leon,  Gadsden,  Jefferson,  and 
Madison  have  large  quantites  of  high,  rolling  hammock  lands,  also  the 
county  of  Jackson  in  West  Florida.  They  are  more  undulating  than 
those  in  East  Florida,  and  are  underlaid  with  a  stiff"  red  clay.  They  are 
by/ar  the  best  lands  in  the  State  for  short-staple  cotton,  to  which  they 
have  been  almost  exclusively  appropriated,  and  to  wheat,  rye,  oats,  corn, 
tobacco,  &c.  In  Volusia  Oouuty  there  is  a  range  of  low  hammock  a 
little  back  from  the  coast,  from  a  half  to  two  miles  wide,  and  extending 
from  the  head  of  the  Halifax  to  the  head  of  the  Indian  Elver,  some  50 
miles,  as  w  ell  adapted  to  sugar  culture  as  any  land  in  the  State.  The 
Gulf  Hammock,  in  Levy  County,  comprises  perhaps  the  largest  body 
of  rich  land  in  Florida.  It  was  bought  up  years  ago  at  from  $5  to  $10 
per  acre,  by  private  parties,  by  whom  it.  is  mostly  held  at  the  present 
time.  The  Atlantic,  Gulf  and  West  India  Transit  Eailroad  runs  through 
it,  and  it  will  no  doubt  become  at  an  early  day  one  of  the  garden  spots 
of  the  State.  The  clearing  of  the  hammocks,  however,  is  expensive,  and, 
as  in  every  new  country,  we  may  expect  to  see  the  lauds  more  lightly 
timbered  first  brought  into  cultivation. 

CLIMATE. 

The  climate  of  Florida,  from  i)arallel  31,  its  northern  boundary,  to 
29,  corresponds  with  that  of  Portugal,  south  of  Oporto;  the  southerji  sec- 
tion of  Spain ;  Oran,  Algiers,  and  Tunis,  on  the  northern  coast  of  Africa; 
the  southernmost  part  of  Italy  •  the  islands  of  Sicily,  Greece,  Morea ;  the 
isles  of  the  Archipelago,  and  those  of  Candia,  Rhodes,  Cyprus,  &c.; 
Asia  Minor,  Syria,  Mesopotamia,  and  Armenia.  From  latitude  29  to 
25,  bordering  almost  on  the  tropics,  and  including  the  remainder  of 
East  Florida,  containing  about  33,000,000  acres  of  land,  there  is  no  par- 
allel climate  in  Europe  or  Asia  Minor. 

As  climate,  Ia  its  effects  upon  the  health  and  vigor  of  mankind,  is  of 
fundamental  imiiortance,  and  enters  more  largely  into  the  considera- 
tions connected  with  the  industrial  occupation  and  development. of  the 
country,  and  as  Florida  is  receiving  more  special  attention  from  the 
migratory  world  than  common,  I  shall  be  pardoned  if  I  occupy  some 
space  in  giving  the  results  of  scientific  investigations  in  regard  to  the 
constituent  elements  of  the  climate  of  this  semi-tropical  region. 

Dr.  C.  J.  Kenworthy,  of  Jacksonville,  a  gentleman  of  extensive  expe- 
rience, as  well  as  practical  research,  in  an  address  before  the  Medical 
Association  of  Florida,  in  1880,  presents  a  more  thorough  analysis  of 
the  constituent  elements  of  the  atmosphere  and  climate  of  Florida  than 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  \j 

has  yet  been  given  to  the  public,  and  I  avail  myself  of  his  work,  and 
embody  the  results  in  liberal  extracts.*     He  says : 

The  climate  of  Florida  is  uot  excelled  by  that  of  any  of  the  United  States,  and  it 
may  be  doubted  whether  it  can  be  equalled  elsewhere  in  the  world.  Located  on  the 
very  borders  of  the  torrid  zone,  and,  therefore,  so  far  as  latitude  alone  is  concerned,  en- 
titled to  rank  among  the  hottest  portions  of  the  western  contiuent,  still  her  situation 
between  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  Atlantic  is  sucli  that^  owing  to  her  peculiar  form, 
she  is  swept  alternately  by  the  Avinds  of  eastern  and  western  seas,  and  relieved  from 
those  burning  heats  with  which  she  would  otherwise  be  scorched ;  and  thus  it  happens 
that  by  the  joint  influences  of  latitude  and  peculiar  location,  she  is  relieved  on  the 
one  hand  from  the  rigors  of  the  winter  climate  of  the  Northern  and  Middle  States,  and 
on  the  other  from  the  extreme  heat  hj  which  not  only  the  other  Southern  States,  but 
in  the  summer  time  the  Northern  States,  are  characterized. 

While  in  winter  the  Northern  and  Middle  States  are-  covered  with  snow,  and  frost 
penetrates  the  earth  to  the  depth  of  several  feet,  and  the  leafless  trees  wave  their  bare 
and  skeleton  fingers  in  the  wintry  wind,  in  Florida  most  of  the  trees  and  shrubs  are  in 
full  foliage,  and  the  winter  gardens  are  filled  with  vegetables  in  their  most  thrifty 
growth. 

In  the  Northern  States  the  frosts  of  November  and  December  most  eftectually put  a 
stop  to  all  agricultural  operations,  and  the  farmer  is  compelled  to  feed  his  stock  for 
from  four  to  six  months,  and  is  himself  confined  to  the  getting  of  fuel  and  lumber, 
thus  in  one  portion  of  the  year  consuming  a  large  share  of  the  result  of  his  labor  in 
the  other 

But  in  Florida  this  very  winter  season  is  better  adapted  to  building,  clearing  laud, 
and  the  performance  of  all  necessary  extra  work  on  the  farm  than  even  the  summer. 

In  the  North  all  regular  farming  work  is  of  necessity  crowded  into  the  space  of 
less  than  half  the  year,  while  in  Florida  there  is  scarcely  a  single  day  in  the  whole 
year  that  may  not  be  devoted  to  purely  agricultural  work. 

In  some  of  the  Northern  States  the  mean  average  rang^  of  the  thermometer  is  from 
20'^  below  zero  to  90'^  and  lOOc  al)ove.  In  P'lorida,  for  many  years,  the  range  of  the 
thermometer  has  been  less  than  half  as  great. 

The  word  ''climate"  in  its  common  signification  indicates  a  region  bounded  by  certain 
arbitrary  lines,  but  in  medicine  it  possesses  a  wider  meaning.  The  eftect  of  climate 
upon  the  human  system  is  the  sum  of  the  influences  which  are  connected  with  many 
factors.  The  climate  of  any  locality,  professionally  speaking,  depends  upon  its  tem- 
perature, atmospheric  vicissitudes,  prevailing  winds,  humidity,  its  elevation  above 
the  sea  level,  its  proximity  to  the  ocean  or  oceanic  currents,  its  contiguity  to  mount- 
ains, lakes,  rivers,  arid  areas,  soil,  drainage,  vegetable  productions,  malaria,  general 
sanitation  and  other  factors,  which  we  shall  briefly  consider. 

Considering  climatic  factors,  as  a  result  of  experience,  observation,  investigation, 
and  study,  we  are  convinced  that  Florida  presents  more  attractions  and  advantages 
as  a  winter  resort  for  invalids  than  any  State  in  the  Union .  The  temperature  is  favor- 
able, the  mean  relative  humidity  is  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  treatment  of  all  forms  of 
pulmonary  disease,  the  air  is  salubrious,  and  in  a  large  portion  of  the  State  dry  and 
bracing ;  atmospheric  changes  are  infrequent,  and  not  so  great  as  in  other  sections 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Rains  are  infrequent,  and  sunshine  and  fine  weather 
the  rule.  The  State  jyossesses  insular,  interior,  dry  and  moist  localities,  semi-troj)icaI 
and  cooler  sections;  and  if  the  nature  of  any  given  case  should  necessitate  a  change 
of  base,  a  suitable  climate  can  be  reached  in  a  few  hours  and  at  a  trifling  expense. 

Dr.  Charles  A.  Lee,  the  learned  editor  of  Co])elaud's  Medical  Dic- 
tionary, remarks : 

Proceeding  south  from  Canada  to  Florida,  the  seasons  become  more  uniform  in  pro- 
portion as  their  annual  temperature  increases,  and  they  glide  imperceptibly  into  each 

^Climatology  of  Florida,  by  C.  J.  Kenworthy,  M.  D.,  of  Jacksonville.     Reprint  from 

Transactions  Florida  Medical  Association,  session  1880. 


10  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

other,  exhibiting  uo  great  extremes.  Compared  witli  the  other  regions  of  the  Uiiitetl 
States,  the  peninsula  of  Florida  has  a  climate  wholly  peculiar.  The  climate  is  so  ex- 
ceedingly  mild  and  uniform  that,  besides  the  vegetable  productions  of  the  Northern 
States  generally,  many  of  a  tropical  character  are  produced.  We  liave  already  spoken 
of  the  mildness  of  the  climate  of  this  region  ;  it  appears  to  possess  an  insular  temper- 
ature not  less  equable  and  salubrious  in  winter  than  that  atforded  by  the  South  of 
Europe,  and  is,  therefore,  well  adapted  to  those  forms  of  puhnonary  disease — as  bron- 
chitis and  incipient  phthisis — as  aie  benefited  by  a  mild  cliniate.  Mildness  and  uni- 
formity are  the  two  distinguishing  characteristics  of  the  Florida  peninsula.  If  we 
compare  the  climate  of  East  Florida  with  the  most  favored  situations  on  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe,  and  the  islands  held  in  the  highest  estimation  for  mildness  and  equa- 
bility of  temperatnre,  in  regard  to  the  mean  temperature  of  winter  and  summer,  that 
of  the  warmest  and  coldest  months,  and  that  of  successive  seasons,  we  shall  find  the 
results  generally  in  favor  of  the  former. 

After  citiDg  the  mean  difterence  of  successive  months  and  annual 
range  of  a  number  of  climatic  resorts  in  comparison  with  stations  in 
Florida,  he  remarks : 

Thus  it  is  easily  demonstrated  that  invalids  requiring  a  mild  winter  residence  have 
gone  to  foreign  lands  in  search  of  what  might  be  found  at  home — an  evergreen  land, 
\n  which  wild  flowers  never  cease  to  unfold  their  petals. 

In  discussing  the  most  suitable  climates  for  invalids.  Dr.  Wilson,  late 
medical  inspector  of  camps  and  hospitals,  United  States  Army,  re- 
marks : 

Neither  npon  the  southern  coast  of  France,  nor  anywhere  under  the  bright  Italian 
skies,  can  a  winter  climate  be  found  so  equable  and  so  genial  to  the  delicate  nerves  of 
most  invalids  as  can  be  enjoyed  in  our  sanitary  stations  in  Florida, 

Temperature  is  an  important  factor  in  climate,  and  Dr.  A.  S.  Bald- 
win, of  Jacksonville,  in  an  address  before  the  medical  association,  gives 
tabular  statements  of  mean  temperature  at  eighteen  different  stations 
iuFloridailuringaterm  of  years,  including  his  own  observations,  which 
extend  through  a  period  of  thirty- six  years. 

From  this  table  it  appears  that  the  mean  temperature  for  the  entire 
State  is :  For  spring,  71^  Q2' ;  summer,  8()o  51'  j  autumn,  71°  6Q' ;  winter, 
70O05'. 

For  stations  on  and  south  of  latitude  28°  north :  Spring,  74^  94' ;  sum- 
mer, Sio  93';  autumn,  760  27';  winter,  63°  69' ;  and  for  the  year,  74^  87'. 

For  the  stations  north  of  latitude  28°  north :  Spring,  70°  66' ;  sum- 
mer, 80O 10' ;  autumn,  70°  23' ;  winter,  58°  29' ;  and  for  the  year,  69°  82'. 

During  the  spring  the  temperature  south  of  latitude  28"^  north  is  4°. 
28' ;  for  summer,  1°  83' ;  for  autumn,  6°  34' ;  and  for  winter,  5°  40'  higher 
than  it  is  north  of  28°  ;  showing  that  the  difference  between  the  summer 
and  winter  temperature  is  less  south  than  north  of  parallel  28.  After 
explaining  the  astronomical  law  which  governs,  the  doctor  remarks : 

Although  there  is  more  absolute  heat  at  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  latitude  30°,  during  the 
entire  year  than  there  is  at  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  latitude  43°  03',  yet  there  is  more  heat; 
received  from  the  sun  at  the  latter  place  duiing  the  three  summer  months  than  at  the 
former  during  the  same  period,  and  Wisconsin  is  liable  to  experience  a  higher  tem- 
perature during  the  summer  mouths  than  is  Florida  during  the  same  time. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES. 


11 


The  comparative  humidity  of  Florida,  as  connected  with  health,  is 
shown  in  the  appended  tables,  presented  in  the  valuable  address  of  Dr. 
C.  J.  Kenworthy,  of  Jacksonville,  before  cited  : 

The  mean  relative  humidity  of  the  localities  referred  to,  for  the  cold  months,  is  as 
follows : 


Localities. 


Cannes  and  Meutone 

Augusta,  Ga 

Breckiniid<ie,  Minn  . 

Duluth,  Minn 

Saint  Paul,  Minn 

.Jacksonville,  Fla 

Key  West,  Fla 

Punta  Rassa,  Fla 


11 


Per  cent,  i  Per  cent.    Per  cent.    Per  cent 


71.8 
71.8 
76.9 
74.0 
70.3 
71.9 
77.1 
72.7 


74.2 
72.6 
83.2 
72.1 
73.5 
69.3 
78.7 
73.2 


72.0 
73.0 
76.8 
72.7 
75.2 
70.2 
78.9 
74.2 


70.7 
64.7 
81.8 
73.3 
70.7 
68.5 
77.2 
73.7 


Percent. 
73.3 
62.8 
79.5 
71.0 
67.1 
63.9 
7-2.2 


Per  cent. 
72.4 
68.9 
79.6 
72.6 
71.3 
68.8 
76.8 
72.7 


Per  cent. 

I         74.3 
\         72.7 


From  the  above  data  it  appears  that  the  mean  relative  humidity  of  Cannes  and 
Meutone,  during  the  cold  months,  exceeds  that  of  Jacksonville  by  nearly  4  per  cenlu 
Three  stations  in  Minnesota  have  a  mean  of  74.8,  and  three  in  Florida  a  mean  of  72.7^ 
showing  a  per  cent,  of  1.6  in  favor  of  Florida,  and  5.5  per  cent,  in  favor  of  Jackson- 
ville over  Minnesota. 

If  we  take  the  entire  year,  for  a  period  of  five  years,  we  will  find  but  little  diflfer- 
ence  in  the  mean  relative  humidity  of  Minnesota  and  Florida,  as  the  following  data, 
kindly  furnished  us  by  the  Chief  Signal  Officer  of  the  United  States  Army,  will  dem- 
onstrate : 


Minnesota 

Florida. 

Years. 

1 

a 
0 

3 

-1^ 

1 

1 

1 

1875  

P&r  cent. 
75.7 
67.7 
72.2 
76.2 
74.1 

Per  cent. 
67.2 
68.2 
71.9 
71.5 
72.8 

Per  cent. 
69.0 
69.1 
67.6 
67.7 
65.8 

Percent. 
70.3 
67.2 
69.3 
68.7 
60.7 

Per  cent. 
76.0 
73.9 
70.5 
72.4 
72.3 

Per  cent. 
71.5 

1876          

76.1 

1877 

74.1 

1878 

74.5 

1879         

74.2 

Mean  for  five  years 

73.2 

70.3 

67.7 

69.0 

73.0 

74.2 

Mean  for  five  years  for  States .   . . 

70.4 

72.1 

Thus  it  will  be  perceived  that  Jacksonville  possesses  a  lower  mean  relative  humidity 
than  most  of  the  celebrated  winter  resorts.  There  is  one  important  point  to  which  I 
wish  to  direct  your  attention,  and  thac  is  the  remarkably  low  percentage  of  humidity 
during  the  much  dreaded  month  of  March — the  mean  for  five  years  being  but  63.9,  as 
against  73.3  at  Mentone,  76.8  at  Atlantic  City,  79.5  at  Breckinridge,  Minn  ,  68.4  at 
Nassau,  N.  P.,  and  67.1  at  Saint  Paul.  When  referring  to  the  effects  of  change  of 
climate,  Dr.  Madden  remarks :  "The  temperature  of  a  locality,  to  which  so  much  im- 
I)ortanceis  properly  assigned,  is  no  criterion  of  its  climate  as  a  health  resort,  the  fact 


12 


FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 


l^eing  that  invalids  are  painfully  sensible  of  variations  in  the  hijgromelric  8tate  of  the 
■aimosjilcere,  which  are  in  no  way  indicated  by  the  thermometer,  so  much  relied  on." 

The  thermometric  range  in  this  city  is  not  too  high  nor  too  low.  As  evidence  of  this, 
we  find  the  mean  temperature  for  the  iive  cold  months,  for  five  jears,  to  be  for  Novem- 
ber, 62°. 1;  December,  55^.8;  January,  56^.ii ;  February,  56^.9 ;  March,  62°. 7  ;  mean 
for  five  months,  58°. 7. 

Dr.  Lente,  p.  17,  when  discussing  temperature  as  a  constituent  of  climate,  and 
referring  to  certain  winter  resorts  north  of  Florida,  remarks:  "A  mean  winter  tem- 
perature of  about  48°  is  too  low  to  entice  manj'  of  the  feeble  invalids  out  of  doors,  ex- 
cept in  calm  and  sunshiny  weather.  But  in  some  of  them  this  degree  of  cold  is  en- 
hanced, as  far  as  the  sensations  are  concerned,  by  the  winds  which  frequently  prevail. 
At  such  times,  most  invalids  will,  therefore,  be  found  hovering  over  the  comfortable 
wood  lires,  and  will  be  i^retty  sure  to  keep  all  the  apertures  of  their  chambers  closed 
at  night,  thus  dei>riving  themselves,  during  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  twenty-four 
hours,  of  the  principal  means  of  cure.  In  Florida  the  sun  shines  so  brightly,  the  air 
is  so  balmy,  the  songs  of  the  birds  so  enlivening,  and  the  orange  trees  in  their  bloom, 
or  laden  with  their  golden  fruit,  lend  such  a  charm  to  the  outlook  from  the  windows, 
that  the  most  indolent  or  the  most  cold-blooded  invalid  feels  little  inclined  to  stay  in 
doors." 

Prof.  J.  Hughes  Bennett,  of  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  remarks:  "And  when,  in 
our  own  country,  the  question  arises,  Where  shall  we  send  the  consumptive  patient 
in  order  to  avoid  our  changeable  climate  and  cold  winter  winds  in  winter?  we  natur- 
ally say  :  To  a  land  where,  during  that  portion  of  the  year,  the  weather  is  warm  and 
equable.  Much  has  been  written  on  climate,  but  the  one  which  appears  to  me  best 
is  that  which  will  enable  the  phthisical  patient  to  pass  a  few  hours  every  day  in  the 
open  air,  without  exposure  to  cold  or  the  vicissitudes  of  temperature  on  the  one  hand, 
or  excessive  heat  on  the  other."* 

With  the  exception  of  the  month  of  December,  fogs  are  seldom  seen,  and  when 
they  do  occur  they  are  not  dense,  and  disappear  as  soon  as  the  sun  ajipears  above  the 
horizon.  Interested  parties  have  intimated  that  the  city  of  Jacksonville  is  a  "rainy 
locality,"  and,  in  consequence,  an  "unsuitable  jdace  for  invalids."  To  correct  this 
error,  we  will  furnish  data  apjdicable  to  a  few  winter  resorts,  from  reliable  sources : 

RAIKFALL  IX  INCHES  AXD  HUXDREDTHS. 


Localities. 


.Nice I  28 

Men  tone 9 

Kervi 7 

Genoa 29 

Atlantic  City,  N.J 5 

Augusta,  Ga 5 

Jacksonville,  Fla 5 

Key  West,  Fla 5 

Punta  Rassa,  Fla 5 


i^ 

, 

>. 

g 

I 

g 

"A 

n 

►t> 

5.11 

4.12 

3.06 

5.a4 

3.15 

1.70 

6.  00 

4.88 

4.78 

7.61 

4.86 

4.39 

4.61 

3.  60 

2.76 

4.56 

3.09 

3.70 

3.02 

3.38 

2.34 

2.43 

1.33 

2.18 

2.38 

0.99 

1.69 

^  I  s 


1.  68  i 
2.18  I 

2.  .33 
4.27  ! 
2.10  i 
3.64 
5.14  1 
2.22  i 
2.67  i 


2.89 
4.13 
4.49 
3.59 
3.86 
5.65 
2.84 
0.94 
1.04 


16.86 
16.50 
23.40 
24.  72 
16.93 
20.64 
16.  62 
9.10 
8.77 


We  have  referred  to  sunshine  as  an  important  aid  in  the  treatment  of  disease  and 
broken  health,  and  as  an  evidence  that  Florida  is  favored  with  sunshine  and  fair 
Aveather,  and  not  "cloudy,  foggy,  and  rainy  weather,"  as  interested  parties  have  as- 


Bennett's  Practice  of  Medicine,  i)p.  326,  476. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES. 


la 


serted,  I  shall  direct  your  attention  to  the  following  meteorological  data,  furnished  hy 
J.  W.  Smith,  the  observer  in  charge  of  this  station : 

*       METEOROLOGICAL  DATA  FROM  SIGNAL  OFFICE,  U.  S.  A..  JACKSONVILLE,  FLA. 


Rainy  days. 

Date. 

s 

> 

December. 

January. 

February. 

i 

Remarks. 

1S74_1875                       ..               

14 

10 

5 

9 

5 

6*     i      15     10 

4      j        4       8 

10      !        6       6 

9               5      10 

8               5        9 

5 

7 
6 
8 

1 

1875-1876                 

1      "Rainy  days,"  all  days  on 
j^which  rain  fell. 

1877  1878                       -  -  -  • 

1878  1879                                      

3        } 

37.4  days  in  five  months. 

Average 

8.6 

7.4,        7|     8.6 

5.8 

Cloudy  days. 

■ 

1 
1 

1 

December. 

Japuary. 
February. 

43 

•  s 

1 

1874  1875 

4 
8 
6 
10 
9 

G 

•     12           3 

8 

1875  1876                     : 

4           5           7 
3           2  1       10 
11         11           9 
11           5  !       11 

2 

1876-1877     ■ 

(    7 

1877  1878                           

10 

1878-1879          

4 

35.6  cloudy  <iays  five  months. 

Average 

7.4 

7           7           8 

6.2 

J.  W.  SMITH, 
Observer  in,  Charge. 

When  a  day  is  marked  ''rainj^,"  but  a  few  drops  may  have  fallen,  and  it  is  no  evi- 
dence that  the  entire  day  was  rainy.  A  measurable  or  a  non-measurable  quantity 
may  fall  in  a  few  minutes,  and  the  remainder  of  the  day  be  bright  and  clear.  In 
Florida  the  rains  are  frequently  "torrential,  in  short,  severe  bursts,"  followed  by 
bright  and  clear  weather.  For  the  purpo-ses  of  comparison,  we  will  refer  to  the  num- 
ber of  rainy  days  during  the  cold  months  in  Jacksonville,  Mentone,  and  Saint  Paul. 

RAINY  DAYS  (INCLUDING  SNOW). 


Localitv. 

1 

E 

.5 

cS 

£? 

% 

^ 

1 

s 

a 

s 

H 

NOA 

1 

a 
a 

^ 
^ 

1^ 

> 

Jactsonville 

5 

8.6 

7.4 

; 

8.6 

5.fl 

37.4 

Mentone 

8 

10.1 

7.25 

5.1     1 

5.66 

9.55 

37.  48 

Saint  Paul 

' 

4 

13 

8 

6 

11 

42 

Ozone  is  considered  an  important  constituent  of  the  atmosphere,  for 
by  its  presence  pure  air  may  be  inferred  to  exist.  This  allotropic  con- 
dition of  oxygen  possesses  great  i)ower  of  destruction  of  organic  matter 
floating  in  the  atmosphere.  The  Florida  peninsula  is  surrounded  by 
the  sea,  and  the  land  is  almost  constantly  fanned  by  sea-breezes,  con- 
taining a  large  amount  of  ozone.    According  to  the  researches  of  Burdel, 


14 

he  found  as  ''  much  ozone  in  the  air  of  marshes  as  in  other  air."  Clemens 
says :  '^  There  is  a  large  proportion  of  oxygen  near  the  surface  of  lakes, 
giving  the  reaction  of  ozone,"  more  especialh^  if  there  are  certain  aquatic  • 
plants  present;  and  he  also  remarks  that  at  some  feet  above  the  surface 
the  reaction  is  lost.  Grallois  has  lately  stated  that  he  ^*  found  more 
ozone  over  marshes  than  anywhere  else."  Dr.  Schreiber,  of  Vienna, 
asserts  ''that  the  turi>entine  exhaled  from  pine  forests  possesses,  to  a 
greater  degree  than  all  other  substances,  the  property  of  converting 
the  oxygen  of  the  air  into  ozone."  In  this  connection.  Dr.  Denison 
remarks:  ^'If  this  be  true,  it  will  explain  why  a  residence  among  the 
balsamic  odors  of  the  innes  has  long  been  esteemed  of  benefit  to  the 
pulmonary  invalid."  Florida  is  densely  covered  with  pine  forests,  and 
if  we  accept  the  statement  of  Dr.  Schreiber,  Dr.  Jones  is  in  error.  Dr. 
Moffat  found  the  quantity  of  ozone  in  the  atmosphere  greater  when  the 
mean  daily  temperature  was  above  the  mean.  According  to  the  re- 
searches of  Dr.  Denison  in  Colorado,  the  excess  of  ozone  appeared  dur- 
ing the  spring  months  on  the  plains,  and  came  proportionately  later  in 
the  season  the  higher  up  the  observations  were  made.  Says  Dr.  Ken- 
worthy  : 

Malaria  is  a  subject  which  enters  into  the  discussion  of  «j.ll  southern  climes,  and  we 
unhesitatingly  assert  that  Florida  has  been  misrepresented  in  this  respect.  "  It  is  the 
custom,"  remarks  Dr.  Lente,  p.  21,  ''of  many  persons  living  at  Florida  resorts,  off  the 
Saint  John's  River,  to  represent,  for  obvious  reasons,  that  fever  prevails  there  the  year 
round,  and  that  it  is  dangerous  to  resort  to  it  at  any  time.  In  this  manuer  they  have 
excited  senseless  alarm  in  the  minds  of  those  proposing  to  come  to  Florida,  and  have 
diverted  them  to  other  Southern  resorts,  thus  in  the  end  injuring  themselves  as  well 
as  others."  Unprincipled  hotel  keepers  and  runners,  and  the  agents  of  steamboat  and 
railroad  lines  leading  to  other  localities,  aid  more  or  less  in  this  fraudulent  attempt  to 
gain  patronage.  The  bugbear,  malaria,  is,  in  my  humble  opinion,  a  prolific  source  of 
disease  among  visitors  to  Florida.  By  misrepresentations  (to  use  a  mild  term)  tourists 
and  invalids  have  been  led  to  believe  that  the  entire  water  supply  is  productive  of 
disease,  and  as  a  consequence  they  refrain  from  drinking  a  suflHcient  quantity  of  water, 
or  dilute  it  with  poor  whisky  or  brandy  to  counteract  its  bad  effects  Interested  par- 
ties have  expatiated  so  much  with  regard  to  the  air  being  charged  with  malaria  in 
winter,  that  invalids  and  patients  become  alarmed,  and  as  a  sequence  they  daily  swal- 
low quinine,  and  thereby  produce  nervous  or  functional  derangements.  They  keep 
the  pure  air  out  of  their  rooms,  breathe  an  air  contaminated  with  their  own  breaths 
and  exhalations,  and  at  night  assemble  in  halls  and  parlors  and  inhale  vitiated  air 
poisoned  by  their  own  breaths  and  the  elements  resulting  from  the  combnstiou  of  coal- 
gas  and  kerosene.  They  inhale  for  hours  at  a  time  air  charged  with  carbonic  acid, 
and  shun  the  pure  night  air  as  they  would  the  eaianations  of  the  deadly  Upas  tree. 
Visitors  act  imprudently,  and  as  a  consequence  suffer  from  nervous  derangements, 
colds,  and  diarrha3as,  which  they  attribute  to  malaria  or  the  climate.  The  cause  of 
slight  indispositions  affecting  visitors  is  not  malaria,  but  indulgence  at  table,  change 
of  drinking  water,  eating  excessive  quantities  of  fruit,  or  the  inhalation  of  air  poisoned 
by  human  breaths,  or  the  resultants  of  the  combustion  of  coal-gas  and  kerosene,  and  a 
deficiency  of  the  pure  air  that  a  beneficent  Creator  has  placed  everywhere  within  their 
reach.  If  visitors  would  let  quinine  and  arsenical  pills  alone,  control  their  appetites, 
eat  moderately,  inhale  plenty  of  the  salubrious  air  of  the  State,  and  not  swelter  in 
heated  halls,  parlors,  and  unventilated  bed-rooms,  we  should  hear  less  of  the  bugbear, 
malaria. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  .  15 

At  various  times  since  1844,  I  have  navigated  the  larger  streams  of  this  State,  vis- 
ited the  everglades  and  Lake  Okeechobee,  and  almost  every  bay,  inlet,  and  river, 
from  Cape  Sable  to  the  Suwannee  River,  and  for  over  two  months  at  a  time  slept  in 
an  open  boat,  with  nothing  but  a  simple  awning  stretched  over  the  boat's  boom,  and 
in  no  instance  did  my  companions  or  self  suffer  from  malaria  or  a  chill.  Before  I  be- 
came a  resident  of  the  State,  my  companions  and  self  were  unacclimated,  and  in  no 
instance  were  we  so  foolish  as  to  swallow  quinine,  arsenic,  or  alcoholic  liquors  as  an- 
tidotes to  malaria  or  chills.  I  speak  from  personal  observation,  experience,  and  ex- 
tended inquiry  in  various  portions  of  the  State,  and  I  unhesitatingly  assert  that  the 
opinion  entertained  with  regard  to  the  prevalence  of  malaria  during  the  cold  months 
in  Florida  is  unfounded.  When  discussing  the  advantages  of  Florida  as  a  climatic 
resort,  the  eminent  Dr.  Forry  predicted,  "from  a  long  residence  in  Florida,  attached 
to  the  United  States  Army,  that  when  the  period  of  the  red  man's  departure  shall 
have  passed,  the  cliniate  of  this  land  of  flowers  would  acquire  a  celebrity  as  a  winter 
residence  not  inferior  to  that  of  Italy,  Madeira,  or  Southern  France."  * 

"All  know,"  remarks  Dr.  Brinton,  p.  128,  ''how  terribly  arduous  must  be  cam- 
paigning among  the  everglades  of  Florida,  yet  the  yearly  mortality  from  disease  of 
the  Regular  Army  there  was  ouly  26  per  1,000  men ;  the  average  of  the  Army  elsewhere 
was  35  per  1,000,  while  in  Texas  it  rose  to  40,  and  on  the  Lower  Mississippi  to  45  per 
1,0  0."  If  i^ersons  are  suftering  from  malarial  cachexia  they  may  have  chills  at  any 
season  in  any  climate.  But  a  few  weeks  since  I  was  requested  to  visit  a  young  lady 
visitor,  whose  home  is  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York.  The  only  time  she  had  been  dressea 
for  three  months  was  the  day  she  was  driven  to  the  Savannah  steamer.  Upon  inquiry 
I  found  that  quinine,  arsenic,  and  Warbeck's  tincture  had  failed  to  cure  her  of  chills. 
She  arrived  in  this  city  in  the  latter  part  of  February,  and  at  the  end  of  two  weeks 
she  departed  for  home,  sans  chills,  sans  malaria,  sans  debility.  From  my  experience 
in  hospitals  and  private  practice  in  and  near  New  York,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  stating 
that  malarious  diseases  are  more  frequent  there  than  in  Florida.  From  my  observa- 
tions from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  I  am  convinced  that  febrile  diseases  assume 
a  milder  form,  and  are  more  easily  cured  in  Florida  than  in  States  to  the  north  of  it. 
I  shall  no  doubt  be  met  with  the  reply :  ''Look  at  the  waxy  complexions  and  gaunt 
forms  of  many  Floridians,  met  with  at  some  of  the  landings  and  depots."  I  admit 
the  mild  impeachment,  and  can  attribute  their  cachectic  condition  to  bad  water,  in- 
sufficient clothing,  unsuitable  and  uncomfortable  habitations,  and  the  improper  food 
they  eat  from  childhood  to  the  grave.  In  any  other  State  but  Florida  they  would 
be  the  victims  of  enlarged  spleens,  cardiac  dilatation,  chronic  gastritis,  tuberculosis, 
dropsical  effusions,  or  albuminuria.  But  contrast  the  natives  referred  to  with  those 
who  have  comfortable  homes,  sufficient  clothing,  and  who  drink  pure  water  and  use 
good  and  nutritious  food;  or  with  Northern  ami  Western  people  who  have  been  in  the 
State  for  years,  and  the  latter  will  be  found  to  be  pictures  of  health.  I  admit  that 
in  Florida,  as  everywhere  else,  there  are  insalubrious  localities,  but  they  should  be 
avoided  by  strangers.  A  majority  of  the  cases  of  illness  occurring  among  visitors  in 
this  State  are  referable  to  indulgence  at  table,  drinking  impure  water,  the  inhalation 
of  impure  air,  the 'American  weakness  of  rushing  hither  and  thirher,  occupation  of 
unventilated  rooms,  and  a  ridiculous  system  of  senseless  drugging  as  a  consequence 
of  the  advice  given  by  phj^sicians  who  are  ignorant  of  the  climate  and  its  diseases. 

From  my  observations  in  the  United  States  and  in  foreign  lands,  and  in  hospital  as 
well  as  in  private  piactice,  I  have  been  forced  to  notice  the  infrequency  of  chronic  dis- 
ease and  broken  health  in  Florida.  In  mj'  visits  to  various  portions  of  this  State  I 
have  met  with  many  persons,  old  and  young,  who  live  from  year  to  year  on  improper 
food,  and  who  drink  water  from  shallow  holes,  near  marshes,  and  yet,  singular  to  say 
(although  such  persons  are  somewhat  ana'mic),  they  do  not  present  any  manifest  dis- 
eased condition.  In  cities,  towns,  villages,  and  rural  districts,  where  residents  are 
supplied  with  proper  food  and  drink  pure  water,  a  case  of  chronic  disease  or  broken 


*  Copeland's  Dictionary  of  Medicine,  vol.  1,  p.  41' 


16  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PPvODUCTIONS, 

health  is  sehlom  met  with.  And  if  we  have  a  climate  in  which  these  conditions  rarely 
occur,  are  we  not  justified  in  concluding  that  it  will  exert  a  powerful  influence  in  re 
storing  the  invalid  to  health?  I  have,  at  various  times,  visited  many  portions  of  the 
State,  and  have  been  surprised  to  meet  so  many  persons  who  have  settled  in  it  as  in- 
valids and  have  heen  restored  to  health  or  comparative  comfort  by  the  climate— a 
large  proportion  of  them  having  been  suflferers  from  pulmonary  diseases.  And  what 
surprised  me  most,  was  the  fact  that  none  of  their  offspring  manifested  any  constitu- 
tional predisposition  to  pulmonary  disease. 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.   * 

Florida  is  usually  described  as  compOvsed  of  East  Florida,  or  that  por- 
tion of  the  State  between  the  Atlantic  and  the  Suwannee  Kiver,  com- 
prising the  whole  of  the  peninsula;  Middle  Florida,  extending  from  the 
Suwannee  to  the  Apalachicola;  and  West  Florida,  comprising  the  ter- 
ritory west  of  the  last-named  river.  This  division,  suggested  probably 
by  the  existence  of  the  distinctly-marked  natural  boundaries  furnished 
by  the  rivers  named,  may  Ije  well  enough  for  the  purposes  of  a  general 
description,  but  a  different  division  suggests  itself  as  better  adapted  to 
the  purpose  of  an  agricultural  description  of  different  sections,  whose 
characteristic  i^roductions  would  be  determined  in  the  main  by  their 
special  climatic  conditions.  Accordingly,  in  attempting  to  give  that 
sort  of  practical  information  that  would  be  serviceable  to  actual  settlers,, 
and  best  enable  them  to  make  satisfactory  locations,  a  different  mode 
of  territorial  division  will  be  adopted,  and  for  the  purpose  of  properly 
grouping  the  counties  with  special  reference  to  those  climatic  conditions^ 
which  control  and  determine  their  vegetable  productions,  the  State  will 
be  included  in  the  three  divisions  of  Northern,  Central,  and  Southern 
Florida. 

Northern  Florida  will  be  considered  as  constituted  from  all  the  lands 
lying  north  of  the  parallel  of  30°  north  latitude  ;  the  territory  included 
between  the  parallels  of  28°  and  30^  north  latitude  will  be  styled  Cen- 
tral Florida;  and  all  south  of  28°  will  be  considered  as  composing  South 
Florida. 

Thus  apportioned,  a  general  account  of  each  division  will  be  given, 
accompanied  by  such  local  descriptions  of  the  different  counties  as  will 
convey  a  definite  idea  of  the  topography  and  characteristics  peculiar  ta 
each.  • • 

NORTHERN  FLORIDA. 

This  division  extends  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  east,  to  Per- 
dido  River  on  the  west,  a  distance  of  375  miles,  and  has  an  average 
breadth  of  some  45  miles,  and  is  comi)osed  of  the  counties  of  Escambia, 
Santa  Rosa,  Walton,  Washington,  Holmes,  Jackson,  Calhoun,  Frank- 
lin, Gadsden,  Liberty,  Leon,  Wakulla,  Jefferson,  Madison,  Taylor,  Ham- 
ilton, Suwannee,  Columbia,  Baker,  Bradford,  Nassau,  Duval,  Clay,  and 
the  northern  part  of  Saint  John's  County. 

The  climate  of  this  section  as  a  whole  may  be  said  to  be  mild,  verg- 
ing upon  warm.    All  extremes  of  temperature  are  essentially  modified 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  17 

by  the  prevalence  of  daily  winds  from  the  ocean  or  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  eastern  portion,  probably  from  the  influence  of  the  Gulf  Stream, 
has  a  milder  and  more  agreeable  climate  than  that  west  of  the  Suwan- 
nee, and  in  winter  suffers  less  from  the  cold  northers  and  northwesters 
that  occasionally  prevail.  But  through  the  whole  section  so  equable  is 
the  climate  that  although  ice  may  be  formed  two  or  three  times  in  the 
course  of  a  year,  the  thermometer  very  seldom  falls  below  35°  in  the 
winter,  or  rises  above  90^  in  the  summer.  There  are  occasional  frosts, 
but  during  four-fifths  of  the  winter  season  the  prevalent  temperature 
is  that  of  the  mildest  Indian  summer  at  the  North  and  West. 

The  surface  of  Northern  Florida  varies  from  the  somewhat  tame  and 
monotonous  levels  of  Eastern  and  Western  Florida  to  the  undulating 
and  uneven  lands  of  the  middle  i)ortion,  and  gives  a  much  wider  field 
for  selection  than  is  commonly  supposed,  although  extreme  elevations 
are  entirely  wanting.  Many  strangers,  who  only  make  a  personal  in- 
spection of  the  Saint  John's  region,  and  gQ  away  complaining  of  the 
tameness  of  the  scene^ry,  the  lack  of  variety  in  the  landscape,  and  the 
sluggish  movements  of  the  streams,  would  find  in  the  valley  of  the  Saint 
Mary's  a  deep  and  somewhat  rapid  stream  inclosed  between  pictu- 
resque bluffs  and  high  banks  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  and  fertile  territory. 
The  same  is  also  true  of  the  Suwannee,  the  Ohipola,  and  other  rivers. 

From  Hamilton  on  the  east  and  Holmes  on  the  west,  the  intermediate 
section  is  undulating,  and  in  some  parts  quite  broken ;  many  portions 
of  Jackson,  Gadsden,  and  Leon  Counties,  in  particular,  bearing  upon 
their  surface  a  strong  resemblance  to  the  less  hilly  portions  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, New  York,  and  New  England,  and  thus  is  afforded  in  Northern 
Florida  a  variety  of  surface,  consisting  of  sandy  plains  and  "flat  woods," 
and  an  alternation  of  hill  and  vale,  from  which  the  divers  tastes  of  dif- 
ferent individuals  can  be  easily  gratified. 

The  soils  of  Northern  Florida  are  as  varied  as  is  the  surface.  To  the 
east  is  found  a  light  and  sandy  soil,  with  a  subsoil  varying  in  depth,  of 
clay  or  marl.  In  the  west  the  poorer  soils  are  sandy,  while  the  better 
are  loamy  in  character.  In  the  middle,  or  section  commonly  called 
"Middle  Florida,"  strong  clay  soils  are  often  to  be  met,  as  is  especially 
the  case  in  Jackson,  Gadsden,  and  Leon  Counties. 

It  is  undeniable  that  here,  as  in  the  State  generally,  there  is  a  good 
deal  of  light  and  poor  soil;  but  it  is  equally  true  that  as  rich  and  pro- 
ductive lands  exist  in  Northern  Florida,  and  when  considered  with  ref- 
erence to  the  value  of  the  staple  crops,  as  productive  and  valuable  lands 
as  can  be  found  anywhere.  The  first  year's  crop  of  cotton  and  corn  has 
in  more  than  one  instance  nSpaid  the  purchase  price  of  a  plantation. 

From  the  broken  and  uneven  surface  of  the  middle  counties  on  the 
north,  and  from  the  comparative  coolness  of  the  climate,  this  division  of 
the  State  is  better  adapted  than  either  of  the  others  to  what  is  under- 
stood by  ordinary'  ''farming,"  as  contradistinguished  from  "planting  " 
so  called.  Hence  there  is  a  greater  diversity  of  the  crops  usually  raised 
3290 2 


18  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

in  the  Kortheru  and  Middle  States  than  can  ordinarily  be  found  in  the 
other  divisions.  Here,  instead  of  depending  mainly  upon  the  avails  of 
a  single  crop,  as  is  usual  with  cotton,  rice,  and  sugar  planters,  there  is 
more  of  what  is  understood  by  the  term  of  farming,  and  each  cultivator 
aims  at  raising  his  own  supplies  as  far  as  practicable;  and  cotton,  corn, 
cane,  wheat,  rye,  oats,  hay,  potatoes,  and  tobacco  are  often,  and  indeed 
commonly,  made  by  each  individual  farmer. 

The  staple  crops  may  be  said  to  be  corn,  cotton,  tobacco,  rice,  cane, 
Irish  and  sweet  potatoes,  and  oats.  The  principal  fruits  are  peaches, 
figs,  grapes,  oranges,  though  many  others  are  raised.  The  apple  and 
pear  do  not  generally  flourish,  except  along  the  Saint  Mary's  Kiver 
(which  Is  one  of  the  best  fruit  regions  in  the  whole  South)  and  in  the 
strong  clay  soils  of  Jackson,  Gadsden,  and  Leon  Counties.  The  peach 
and  fig  thrive  everywhere  and  mature  several  weeks  earlier  than  in  the 
States  lying  north.  The  orange  is  grown  throughout  this  division,  the 
crop  increasing  in  security  as  you  go  south;  but  very  fine  oranges 
are  raised  in  the  northern  counties,  although,  when  young,  they  should 
have  some  protection,  ^o  better  oranges  are  raised  in  Florida  than  those 
produced  in  Liberty,  Calhoun,  Wakulla,  and  Washington  Counties,  and 
the  world  can  show  no  better  oranges  than  the  best  raised  in  this  State. 

This  whole  division  is  remarkably  well  watered.  In  addition  to  the 
numerous  rivers — ^the  Perdido,  Black  Water,  Escambia,  Econfina,  Apa- 
lachicola,  Chipola,  Ocklockonee,  Ancilla,  Suwannee,  Saint  John's,  Saint 
Mary's,  and  Nassau — and  the  multitude  of  smaller  streams,  nearly  the 
whole  region  is  abundantly  supplied  with  springs,  while  good  water  is 
easily  obtained  in  wells  of  little  expense. 

The  timber  of  the  region  is  abundant.  The  supplies  of  pine  and 
cypress  are  apparently  inexhaustible ;  while  hickory,  oak,  ash,  cedar, 
magnolia,  and  red  bay  are  found  everywhere.  Game  and  fish  are  found 
everywhere  in  good  supply.  On  the  coasts,  oysters  and  turtle  abound. 
They  are  both  abundant  and  good  on  the  east  coast ;  but  the  oysters  of 
Saint  Andrew's  Bay,  on  the  west,  are  not  surpassed  for  size  and  flavor, 
and  are  exceedingly  abundant. 

.  So  much  will  suffice  for  a  general  description  of  Northern  Florida  as 
a  whole,  and  for  more  particular  information  reference  is  made  to  the 
local  descriptions  of  each  county  in  this  subdivision,  arranged  in  alpha- 
betical order. 

BRADFORD   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Baker  County,  east  by  Clay,  south  by  Alachua,  and 
west  by  Columbia  County.  Area,  about  600  square  miles.  The  surface 
mostly  level,  but  sufficiently^  high  and  undulating  for  cultivation.  The 
soil  varies  from  light  to  strong  pine  land,  and  is  covered,  where  not  im- 
proved, with  a  heavy  growth  of  pine  timber.  This  timber  and  naval 
stores  are  largely  exported.  The  Atlantic,  Gulf  and  West  India  Tran- 
sit Eailroad,  which  runs  from  Fernandina,  on  the  Atlantic,  to  Cedar 
Keys,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  runs  southwest  across  the  eastern  border 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  19 

of  the  county.  This  is  a  progressive  county,  and  has  a  thrifty  popula- 
tion of  old  and  new  settlers.  All  the  usual  crops  do  well,  and  the  orange 
groves  look  as  well  as  in  any  section ;  market  gardening  is  also  profita- 
ble here. 

Lake  Butler  is  the  county  seat,  though  Starke  is  the  largest,  both  in 
population  and  business,  and  is  situated  directly  on  the  line  of  the  rail- 
road. 

BAKER  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Georgia,  east  by  Nassau  and  Duval  Counties,  south 
by  Bradford,  and  west  by  Columbia  County.  Area,  about  500  square 
miles.  Its  topography,  soil,  and  general  characteristics  are  similar  to 
Bradford  County.  Mostly  level,  hea^^ly  timbered  j  soil,  where  culti. 
vated,  productive.  The  Central  Railroad  runs  through  the  county  from 
east  to  west,  furnishing  easy  transportation  to  Apalachicola  River  on 
the  west,  to  Jacksonville  and  Fernandina  on  the  east,  and  connecting 
with  the  railroad  system  north.  Sanderson,  on  the  line  of  the  railroad, 
is  the  county  seat.    Many  small  farmers  are  settling  in  this  county. 

COLUMBIA  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Georgia,  east  by  Baker  and  Bradford  Counties, 
south  by  Alachua,  and  west  by  Suwannee  and  Hamilton  Counties. 
Area,  about  864  square  miles.  Its  soil  includes  pretty  much  every  variety 
found  in  Florida.  The  surface  is  generally  level ;  the  southern  portion 
well  timbered :  the  western  part,  high  rolling  pine  lands  of  good  quality,- 
very  little  waste  land  unfit  for  cultivation.  There  are  twelve  lakes  of 
moderate  size.  Alligator  Lake  being  the  largest ;  all  abound  in  good 
fish.  Muck,  marl,  limestone,  sandstone,  and  clay  suitable  for  bricks 
are  found.  Several  streams  afford  good  mill  sites,  and  at  Suwannee 
Shoals,  on  border  of  Hamilton  County,  there  is  sufficient  water  for  large 
manufacturing  establishments. 

The  railroad  from  Jacksonville  runs  through  the  county  from  east  to 
west,  with  a  dei>ot  at  Lake  City.  Lake  City,  the  county  seat,  is  a  neat 
place,  surrounded  by  lakes  ;  is  the  center  of  a  well  settled  agricultural 
country,  and  does  a  large  commercial  business.  Besides  cotton,  cane, 
rice,  tobacco,  corn  and  root  crops,  raising  vegetables  for  shipment  to 
North  and  West  is  becoming  a  large  industry.  Orange  and  grape  cult- 
ure is  receiving  special  attention,  with  best  results.  Some  of  the  largest 
vineyards  in  the  State  are  in  this  county. 

CLAY  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Duval  County  j  east  by  Saint  John's  River,  which 
separates  it  from  Saint  John's  County;  south  by  Putnam,  and  west  by 
Bradford  County.  Area,  about  425  square  miles.  The  county  is  well 
watered,  sufficiently  high  and  uneven  to  afford  water-power  on  several 
streams.  Black  Creek  traverses  the  county,  and  is  navigable  for  river 
steamers  to  Middleburg,  the  center  of  the  county.    The  Atlantic,  Gulf 


20  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

and  West  India  Transit  Eailroad  crosses  the  northwestern  township  of 
the  county,  about  twelve  miles  from  the  head  of  navigation  on  Black 
Creek,  so  the  county  has  excellent  facilities  to  reach  markets  by  water 
or  fail.  There  are  several  fine  lakes  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  the 
county,  which  afford,  at  all  seasons,  an  abundance  of  food  fish.  Lake 
Kingsley  is  the  largest,  in  the  near  vicinity  of  which,  and  in  the  section 
lying  between  the  lake  and  the  railroad,  settlements  and  improvements 
are  being  rapidly  made.  Most  of  the  soil  of  this  county  produces  well 
all  the  staples  of  the  country,-  and  the  usual  vegetables  and  varieties  of 
fruit.  Bordering  the  many  streams  and  lakes  there  are  rich  hammocks. 
The  land,  where  not  opened,  is  Tt'ell  covered  with  pine.  Marl  beds  of 
large  extent  are  found,  and  on  Black  Creek  fine  stone  for  building  pur- 
poses. Middleburg,  formerly  the  county  seat,  a  town  once  of  consid- 
erable importance,  at  head  of  navigation,  was  formerly  the  place  of  trans- 
shipment to  and  from  the  interior.  The  building  of  the  railroad  from 
Fernandina  has  diverted  this.  The  county  seat,  Green  Cove  Springs, 
on  the  Saint  John's,  is  a  thriving  place,  and  a  great  resort  both  for  win- 
ter travelers  and  others  who  seek  benefit  from  the  sulphur  spring,  which 
is  large. 

CALHOUN  COUNTY. 

Bounded  on  the  north  by  Jackson  County,  east  by  the  Apalachicola 
River  and  Franklin  County,  south  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  which,  with 
"Washington  County,  form^  the  western  boundary.  Area,  670,000  acres. 
Lands  in  the  northern  part  are  elevated  and  rolling;  in  the  southern  por- 
tion level,  and  in  some  places  low.  The  Apalachicola  River  is  navigable 
for  large  steamers,  and  the  Chipola  River,  which  nearly  bisects  the  county 
from  north  to  south,  is  navigable  a  portion  of  the  year.  Other  streams 
abound  and  afford  amj)le  water-power,  which  is  used,  whenever  desired, 
to  advantage.  Chix^ola  Lake,  16  miles  long  and  from  1  to  3  miles  wide, 
is  situated  near  the  center  of  the  county,  and  is  full  of  fish  of  many 
kinds ',  the  forests  abound  in  game.  Very  extensive  beds  of  marl,  some 
quarries  of  stone,  and  clay  suitable  for  brick  are  found  in  this  county. 
Cotton,  sugar-cane,  corn,  and  peanuts,  are  the  principal  crops  raised, 
as  also  vegetables  and  root  crops.  Orange  culture  is  rapidly  extending, 
and  successfully.  Stock-raising  is  carried  on  to  some  extent,  and  profit- 
ably. 

DUVAL  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Nassau  County,  east  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  south 
by  Saint  John's  and  Clay  Counties,  west  by  Baker  and  Nassau.  It  has 
an  area  of  about  860  square  miles,  embracing  the  mouth  of  the  mag- 
nificent Saint  John's  River,  the  natural  outlet  of  nearly  a  thousand  miles 
of  inland  navigable  waters.  While  the  lands  as  a  whole  are  not  as  rich 
in  an  agricultural  sense  as  some  other  sections,  yet  there  are  to  be  found 
large  and  small  tracts  of  rich  hammock.  Most  of  the  land,  however,  is 
light,  but  the  modifying  influence  of  the  waters  of  the  ocean  and  the 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  21 

broad  Saint  John's  and  other  streams  are  favorable  for  crops,  and  espe- 
cially for  vegetables  and  fruit.  Add  to  this  the  commercial  facilities 
of  river  navigation,  outward  to  sea  and  interior,  the  railroads  con- 
necting north,  west,  and  south  with  the  great  through  lines,  and  Duval 
County  offers  the  very  best  advantages  for  general  Southern  crops,  and 
particularly  for  large  and  small  fruit  growing  and  market  gardening, 
which  is  rapidly  extending.  The  light  lands  respond  quickly  to  fertih- 
zers,  and  marl,  shells,  and  muck  are  found  within  easy  distance.  ^ 

Jacksonville,  the  county  seat,  is.  in  the  center  of  the  county,  and  is  the 
largest  and  most  thriving  city  in  East  Florida,  and  in  the  very  near 
future  may  rank  in  commercial  importance  with  Savannah  and  Charles- 
ton. It  is  healthy,  has  many  fine  hotels,  a  complete  system  of  water 
supply;  thorough  sewerage,  rigid  sanitary  and  police  regulations,  and 
is  every  way  progressive.  The  Jacksonville,  Pensacola  and  Mobile 
Eailroad,  the  Savannah  and  Florida,  and  the  Fernandina  Eailroads  in- 
tersect the  Saint  John's  Eiver  at  this  point,  and  the  Jacksonville,  Saint 
Augustine  and  Halifax  Kiver  Eailway  is  in  process  of  construction. 
Arrangements  have  also  been  made  for  building  a  railroad  from  this 
city  to  Key  West,  touching  at  Palatka,  Titusville,  Tampa,  and  Punta 
Eassa.  Steamers  ply  to  Savannah  and  Charleston,  connecting  at  those 
points  with  steamers  to  the  principal  :N^orthern  ports.  Lines  of  schoon- 
ers run  regularly  to  New  York. 


ESCAMBIA   COUNTY. 


This  county  forms  the  west  end  of  the  State.  Bounded  north  and 
west  by  Alabama,  east  by  Santa  Eosa  County,  and  south  by  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  Perdido  Bay  and  Eiver  separate  it  from  Alabama  on  the  west, 
Escambia  Eiver  and  Bay  from  Santa  Eosa  County  on  the  east.  That 
portion  of  the  county  bordering  the  Gulf  is  level,  with  a  light  soil,  cov- 
ered with  pine ;  where  this  has  been  cut  off,  oak,  hickory,  bay,  mag- 
nolia, and  other  hard  woods  have  succeeded.  The  northern  part,  being 
over  two-thirds,  is  uneven  and  hilly,  and  clay  subsoil  is  near  the  sur- 
face, occasionally  cropping  out.  The  area  of  the  county  is  about  600 
square  miles. 

Pensacola  is  the  county  seat,  and  one  of  the  most  beautifully  located 
and  important  cities  in  the  State.  Pensacola  Bay  has  no  equal  in  the 
Southern  States,  and  in  capacity,  depth  of  water,  and  safety  is  not 
excelled  by  any  T^orthern  port.  There  is  a  large  and  well-equipped 
United  States  navy-yard,  dry-dock,  and  coal-depot,  as  also  Fort  Bar- 
rancas, Fort  Pickens,  and  the  old  Fort  McEae.  The  recent  extension 
of  railroads  to  Pensacola,  connecting  it  with  the  great  through  lines 
west,  north,  and  east,  will  make  it  a  great  shipping  port  for  products 
of  field,  mines,  and  manufactures.  Escambia  Eiver  is  navigable  for 
steamboats  for  twenty-five  miles,  anfl  the  Perdido  for  same  distance. 
A  railroad  connects  Perdido  Bay  with  Pensacola  Bay. 


22  FLORIDA  :    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

FRANKLIN  COUNTY. 

Bounded  on  tlie  north  by  Liberty  and  Wakulla,  east  and  soutUby  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  west  by  Calhoun  County.  It  is  divided  by  the 
Apalaeliicola  River,  and  includes  Ai>alachicola  Bay,  Saint  George's 
Sound,  and  the  adjacent  islands.  It  contains  about  600  square  miles? 
and  was  formerly  one  of  the  most  thriving  and  important  counties  of 
the  State.  Apalachi(5ola,  the  county  seat,  was  formerly  a  place  of  large 
commerce;  the  lines  of  railroad  from  Atlantic  cities  west  have  almost 
entirely  diverted  the  tradf^,  and  from  being  one  of  the  largest  cotton 
ports  of  the  South,  it  has  become  only  the  port  for  a  limited  area  of 
country.  But  with  a  fair  jilort  on  the  Gulf,  and  steamboat  navigation 
reaching  into  Georgia  and  Alabama,  by  the  Apalachicola,  Chattahoo- 
chee, and  Flint  Elvers,  there  is  a  good  prospect  of  its  future  growth  as 
the  country  becomes  settled.  Many  portions  are  rich,  alluvial  bottoms, 
very  productive.  All  the  Southern  staples  are  successfully  cultivated, 
and  the  orange  and  semi-tropical  fruits  fully  equal,  in  growth,  quality, 
and  quantity,  those  of  other  sections.  The  bays  and  waters  of  the 
Gulf  afford  superior  fish  and  oysters,  and  yield  abundantly. 

GADSDEN  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Georgia;  east  by  Leon,  from  which  it  is  separated 
by  the  Ocklockonuee  River;  south  by  Leon  and  Liberty;  west  by  Jack- 
son County,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Chattahoochee  River.  It 
contains  an  area  of  over  450  square  miles.  The  surface  is  uneven,  ele- 
vated, and  presents  a  strong  contrast  with  the  more  level  ^ands  on  the 
Atlantic  and  Gulf  coasts,  the  topography  and  soil  in  many  portions  re- 
sembling the  northern  parts  of  Virginia.  It  is  one  of  the  best- watered 
portions  of  the  State ;  clear  running  streams  and  springs  of  freestone 
water  are  met  with  at  short  intervals,  in  every  direction,  which  afford 
water-power  for  manufacturing.  The  soil  is  mostly  based  on  red  clay, 
lying  from  a  few  inches  to  two  feet  beneath  the  surface ;  the  lands  be- 
ing rich,  productive,  and  durable,  are  thus  adapted  for  the  growth  of 
grain  and  forage  crops,  also  cotton  and  cane.  Previous  to  the  war,  this 
county  was  noted  for  its  production  of  superior  tobacco,  which  equaled 
Cuba  tobacco  in  quality  and  price.  The  export  previous  to  1860  was 
400  boxes  of  400  pounds  each  of  tobacco,  annually.  It  is  among  the 
richest  agricultural  counties  in  the  State,  and  has  little  waste  land, 
and  a  larger  proportion  under  cultivation  than  most  others. 

Quincy,  the  county  seat,  is  a  beautiful  town,  its  location  on  high 
elevation  affording  fine  views  of  the  surrounding  country.  The  Jack- 
sonville and  Mobile  iiCailroad  crosses  the  county  from  east  to  west  to 
the  Apalachicola  River,  thus  affording  good  facilities  for  transportation 
to  the  ^N^orth  and  West  as  well  as  to  Eastern  and  Southern  ports.  Beds 
of  marl  are  found  in  this  county,  as  also  clay  suitable  for  brick. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  23 

HAMILTOX   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Georgia,  east  by  Columbia,  soutb  by  Suwannee, 
and  west  by  Madison  County.  Area  about  400  square  miles.  The  Su- 
wannee River  forms  its  southern  and  eastern  boundary,  the  Withla- 
coochee  River  its  western,  the  Alapaha  River  dividing  in  nearly  in  the 
center.  The  Savannah  and  Gulf  Railroad  crosses  from  south  to  north, 
nearly  in  the  center  of  the  county.  The  general  surface  is  rolling,  soil 
light  in  some  portions,  with  fine  hammocks  near  streams.  Jasper  is  the 
county  seat. 

HOLMES   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Alabama;  east  by  Jackson,  from  which  it  is  sep- 
arated by  Holmes  Creek j  south  by  Washington  and  Walton;  west  by 
Walton  County.  Area  over  500  square  miles.  The  Choctawhatchie 
River  runs  south  through  the  center  of  the  county,  affording  steamboat 
communication  with  the  Choctawhatchie  Bay  and  the  Gulf.  Stock-rais- 
ing, cotton-growing,  and  farming  the  principal  business;  sugar-cane, 
corn,  potatoes,  and  other  food  crops  raised  for  sale  and  home  consump- 
tion. The  land  is  mostly  level,  good  pine  lands,  well  timbered,  varied 
by  rich  hammocks.  The  great  need  of  this  and  adjoining  counties  is 
railroad  communication.  The  Pensacola  and  Mobile  Railroad  will  pass 
through  this  county  at  or  near  Cerro  Gordo,  the  county  seat,  which  is 
pleasantly  situated  on  the  high  banks  of  the  Choctawhatchie.  A  rail- 
road is  in  jirocess  of  rapid  construction  that  will  connect  the  county 
with  Pensacola  and  Jacksonville. 

JACKSON  COUNTY. 

Bounded  on  the  north  by  Alabama ;  east  by  Decatur  County,  Geor- 
gia, and  Gadsden  County,  Florida,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the 
Chattahoochee  and  Apalachicola  Rivers ;  south  by  Calhoun  and  Wash- 
ington Counties,  and  west  by  Washington  and  Holmes  Counties;  has 
an  area  of  1,000  square  miles.  It  is  considered  as  one  of  the  richest 
agricultural  districts  of  the  State.  Lands  are  rich,  undulating  ham- 
mock; soil  composed  of  clay,  loam,  and  lime,  in  various  proportions, 
and  pine  lands  of  good  quality  of  soil.  The  Chipola  River,  rising  in 
Alabama,  flows  south  nearly  through  the  county,  emptying  into  the 
Apalachicola;  is  navigable  for  boats  of  moderate  draft.  At  a  small 
expense  the  river  could  be  made  navigable  for  steamboats.  The  Apala- 
chicola and  Chattahoochee  Rivers,  on  the  eastern  boundary,  afford  trans- 
portation to  markets.  The  county  exports  largely  cotton  and  other 
agricultural  products. 

Marianna,  the  county  seat,  is  a  beautiful  place,  doing  a  large  busi- 
ness ;  is  located  on  the  Chipola  River,  the  lower  valley  of  which  is  w^ell 
adapted  to  orange- growing,  as  also  other  fruits  ;  soil  rich  and  remark- 
ably exempt  from  frost.    The  extension  of  the  Jacksonville,  Pensacola 


24  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

and  Mobile  Eailroad,  now  rapidly  progressing,  will  afford  facilities  for 
communication  east  and  west,  which  cannot  fail  to  render  the  county 
attractive  for  immigrants  and  capitalists. 

JEFFERSON   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Georgia ;  east  by  Madison  and  Taylor,  from  which 
it  is  separated  by  the  Aucilla  River  j  south  by  Taylor  County  and  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  5  west  by  Wakulla  and  IjCOu.  Has  an  area  of  about  550 
square  miles.  It  occupies  a  central  portion  in  the  tier  of  counties 
known  as  Middle  Florida,  and  offers  many  and  substantial  inducements 
to  immigrants,  especially  to  those  who  seek  homes  where  they  can  enjoy 
all  the  benelits  of  civilization  and  the  facilities  for  easy  and  cheap  com- 
munication with  markets.  The  face  of  the  county,  from  the  Georgia 
line  south  for  about  20  miles,  is  beautifully  undulating,  intersected 
throughout  with  small  streams  fed  by  springs,  and  dotted  here  and 
there  with  beautiful  lakes,  prominent  among  which  is  the  Miccosukie, 
which  extends  into  Leon  County  and  is  15  miles  long  by  from  1  to  4 
miles  wide.  The  southern  portion  of  the  county  is  mostly  flat  woods. 
The  soil  is  varied — in  the  upper  and  middle  are  stiff,  red  lands,  with  clay 
subsoil  J  on  the  Aucilla  Eiver  and  bordering  on  the  flat  woods  are  rich 
hammocks.  It  has  a  larger  proportion  of  cultivated  lands  than  other 
counties,  and  is  among  the  largest  cotton-producing  counties.  With 
Madison,  Leon,  and  Gadsden  it  constitutes  what  is  known  as  the  rich 
agricultural  district  of  Northern  Florida. 

The  Jacksonville,  Pensacola  and  Mobile  Eailroad  crosses  the  county 
near  the  center,  with  a  branch  to  Monticello,  the  county  seat,  one  of  the 
most  healthy  and  delightful  villages  in  the  State. 

LEON  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Georgia,  east  by  Jefferson  County,  south  by  Wa- 
kulla County,  and  west  by  Liberty  and  Gadsden  Counties,  from  which  it 
is  separated  by  the  Ocklockonnee  Eiver.  It  contains  an  area  of  about 
700  square  miles.  The  surface  of  the  county,  like  that  of  the  adjoining 
counties,  which  constitute  what  is  known  as  Middle  Florida,  is  varied ; 
the  northern  portion  uneven,  the  southern  more  level  and  interspersed 
throughout  with  clear- water  lakes,  among  which  are  Lafayette,  Jackson, 
lamonia,  Bradford,  and  the  Miccosukie,  extending  fron  Jefferson  County, 
all  abounding  in  fish.  The  soil  is  as  varied  as  the  surface.  In  the  north- 
ern half  of  the  county  it  is  rich  loam,  based  upon  red  clay,  very  pro- 
ductive. In  the  southern  portion  the  soil  is  lighter,  the  clay  lying  deeper 
and  of  a  pale  yellow  color.  Leon  is  the  center  of  the  rich  agricultural 
counties  of  Northern  Florida,  and  no  district  of  the  same  extent  in  the 
country  can  otter  superior  inducements  to  cultivators  of  the  soil.  Short 
staple  cotton  has  been  the  i)rincipal  source  of  reliance,  but  wheat,  corn, 
rice,  rye,  oats,  sugar-cane,  tobacco,  and  all  the  diversified  products  of  a  rich 
agricultural  district  are  successfully  cultivated,  and  all  kinds  of  stock 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  25 

raised  with  profit.  Whether  we  consider  its  unexceptionable  climate, 
the  beauty  of  its  undulating  surface,  the  variety,  abundance,  and  value 
of  its  timber,  the  fertility  of  its  soil,  with  its  adaptability  to  such  a  vast 
catalogue  of  crops,  its  accessibility  to  markets,  its  abundance  of  good, 
pure  water,  its  geueral  healthfulness,  the  ease  with  which  the  soil  is  cul- 
tivated, the  intelligence  and  character  of  its  people,  the  number  of  its 
laboring  population,  or  the  cheapness  of  its  lands,  no  portion  of  the 
State  or  the  country  can  offer  superior  inducements  to  immigrants. 

The  beautiful  city  of  Tallahassee,  the  county  seat  and  capital  of  the 
State,  lies  near  the  center  of  the  county.  The  Jacksonville,  Pensacola 
and  Mobile  Eailroad  crosses  the  county  from  east  to  west,  and  the  Tal- 
lahassee Railroad,  from  the  port  of  Saint  Mark's,  on  the  Gulf,  intersects 
it  at  the  capital.  The  name  Tallahassee,  signifyiug  beautiful  land,  was 
applied  by  the  Indians  to  this  region  of  country,  and  was  properly  appro- 
priated to  designate  the  capital  at  the  time  of  its  location. 

LIBERTY   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Gadsden ;  east  by  Leon  and  Wakulla  Counties, 
from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Ocklockonnee  Riverj  south  by  Frank- 
lin; west  by  Calhoun,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Apalachicola 
Eiver.  It  contains  an  area  of  about  850  square  miles.  It  is  sparsely 
populated,  and  little  of  its  area  is  cultivated.  Its  characteristics  are 
the  same  as  Calhoun  and  Franklin.  Cattle-raising  is  the  principal  busi- 
ness, but  the  ordinary  staples  of  the  State  are  successfully  cultivated  5 
orange  culture  is  receiving  attention,  and  line  groves  attest  the  success 
of  this  important  product.    Bristol  is  the  county  seat. 

MADISON   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Georgia ;  east  by  Hamilton  and  Suwannee  Coun- 
ties from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Suwannee  River;  south  by  La- 
fayette and  Taylor,  and  west  by  Jefferson,  from  which  the  Aucilla  River 
separates  it.  It  contains  750  square  miles,  and  forms  a  portion  of  the 
rich  agricultural  district  of  Middle  Florida.  The  lands  are  generally 
undulating,  and  some  portions  even  hilly;  a  small  part  of  the  south- 
eastern portion  is  flat.  The  western  half  is  very  fertile,  the  eastern 
generally  pine  lands  of  fair  quality  and  interspersed  with  lakes  and 
ponds.  The  better  lands  are  generally  underlaid  with  clay,  and  the  soil 
rich  and  generous.  Long  and  short  staple  cotton  have  formed  the  chief 
product  for  exportation,  and  as  high  as  12,000  bales  have  been  produced 
in  a  year.  Now,  while  cotton  continues  the  principal  staple,  the  prod- 
ucts are  becoming  more  diversified,  and  grass,  grain,  sugar  cane,  and 
vegetables  are  receiving  more  attention  and  are  found  remunerative, 
while  stock-growing  and  fruit  culture  are  successfully  prosecuted.  A 
larger  proportion  of  the  lands  of  Madison  County  are  under  cultivation 
than  of  any  other  county. 

Madison,  the  county  seat,  is  a  thriving  place  near  the  center  of  the 


26  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

county,  on  the  Jacksonville,  Pensacola  and  Mobile  Railroad,  which, 
crosses  the  county  from  east  to  west.  One  of  the  largest  lumber  manu- 
facturing establishments  in  the  State,  employing  a  capital  of  over 
$300,000,  is  situated  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  county  j  $30,000  are 
invested  in  grist-mills. 

NASSAU   COUNTY 

Occupies  the  northeast  corner  of  the  State,  and  is  bounded  north  and 
west  by  the  Saint  Mary^s  River,  which  separates  it  from  Georgia,  east 
by  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  Duval  County,  and  south  by  Duval.  It  con- 
tains about  600  square  miles,  including  Amelia  Island,  upon  which  the 
city  of  Fernandina,  the  county  seat,  is  located.  The  soil  of  Nassau 
County  varies  from  the  light  mulatto  soils  of  the  coast,  through  all  the 
intermediate  gradations,  to  the  stiff  clays  and  marls  in  the  lowlands  of 
the  rivers,  and  its  range  of  productions  is  as  varied  as  the  soil.  On 
Amelia  Island,  the  edge  of  the  mainland,  and  scattered  along  her  rivers, 
are  soils  of  calcareous  sand,  that  are  adapted  for  the  finest  qualities  of 
long  staple  cotton,  and  the  culture  of  the  peach,  grape,  olive,  and  orange, 
while  the  fresh  marsh  and  black  rush  lands  attached  to  them  are  es- 
pecially suitable  for  gardening.  These  lands  are  easily  reclaimed,  rich, 
moist,  and  close  to  shipping  opportunities,  so  that  the  shipping  of  early 
vegetables  to  Northern  markets  forms  a  profitable  industry.  The  clay 
bluffs  along  the  Saint  Mary's  River,  and  the  so-called  sand  hills  in  the 
Xiorthwestern  corner  of  the  county,  form  a  third  distinct  body  of  agri- 
cultural lands.  The  balance  of  the  lands  of  the  county  are  pine  barrens, 
mostly  sandy,  and  interspersed  with  numerous  "bay-galls,"  cypress 
ponds,  and  savannas.  The  harbor  of  Fernandina  is  the  northern  ter- 
minus of  the  Atlantic,  Gulf  and  West  India  Transit  Railroad,  from 
Cedar  Keys,  and  is  one  of  the  best  harbors  for  sea-going  vessels  of  deep 
draught  south  of  Norfolk,  admitting  of  the  safe  anchorage  of  several 
hundred  vessels  at  once,  and  with  an  entrance  easy  of  access,  and  giv- 
ing from  14  to  20  feet  of  water. 

SAINT  JOHN'S   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Duval,  east  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  south  by  Vo- 
lusia, and  west  by  Putnam  and  Clay  Counties,  from  which  it  is  sepa- 
rated by  the  Saint  John's  River.  It  contains  970  square  miles.  The 
general  surface  is  level,  and  the  land  is  not  of  the  first  quality,  being 
mostly  flat  pine  woods  and  palmetto  scrub,  with  some  hammock  j  but 
its  location,  between  the  Saint  John's  River  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
renders  it  more  exempt  from  frost  and  better  adai)ted  to  fruit  culture 
than  more  interior  counties  in  the  same  latitude.  Orange  culture  and 
fruit  and  market  gardening  are  now  commanding  attention,  while  stock- 
growing,  corn,  rice,  sugar  cane,  &c.,  are  profitable  branches  of  agricul- 
tural industry.  The  Matanzas  and  North  Rivers  lie  parallel  with  the 
coast  on  the  east,  and  the  Saint  John's  River  and  Lake  Crescent  on  the 
western  border. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  27 

Saint  Augustine,  the  oldest  citj^  on  the  continent,  rich  in  historic  in- 
terest, and  once  famous  for  its  orange  groves,  from  which  for  nearly  a 
century  the  nobles  and  grandees  of  Spain  derived  their  best  supply,  is 
the  county  seat,  and  a  port  of  entry  for  sea-going  vessels,  and  is  connected 
with  the  Saint  John's  River  by  railway  to  Tocoi,  and  a  railway  direct  to 
Jacksonville  is  in  process  of  construction.  It  is  proverbial  for  its  healthy 
and  delightful  climate,  and  is  a  popular  resort,  both  summer  and  win- 
ter, for  visitors  seeking  health  and  recreation. 

SUWANNEE  COUNTY. 

Bounded  on  the  north  by  Hamilton  County,  east  by  Columbia,  south 
by  Alachua  and  La  Fayette,  and  west  by  La  Fayette  and  Madison,  from 
which,  with  Hamilton  on  the  north,  it  is  separated  by  the  Suwannee  Eiver. 
Its  area  is  about  700  square  miles.  This  county  occupies  nearly  a  cen- 
tral position,  from  east  to  west,  in  the  State,  and  the  Suwannee  and 
Santa  Fe  Elvers  form  its  boundary  on  three  sides,  a  distance  of  over 
100  miles.  These  streams  are  navigable  for  steamboats  to  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  county.  The  general  topography  is  rolling.  The 
soil  is  sandy,  in  some  parts  mixed  with  a  clay  subsoil.  Beds  of  marl, 
shell,  and  white  clay  fine  enough  for  pottery.  Limestone  and  sandstone 
abound,  the  latter  white  as  marble,  and,  when  first  exposed,  so  soft  that 
it  may  be  cut  into  any  desirable  form,  and  becomes  hard  with  exposure. 
Lumbering  and  naval  stores  form  the  leading  industry,  as  the  timber  is 
very  fine.  The  Jacksonville,  Pensacola  and  Mobile  Eailroad  crosses 
the  county  from  east  to  west,  and  is  intersected  from  the  north  by  the 
Savannah  Eailway  at  Live  Oak,  the  county  seat,  which  is  now  in  process 
of  extension  south,  with  Tampa  and  Charlotte  Harbor  as  the  objective 
points. 

SANTA  ROSA  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Alabama,  east  by  Walton  County,  south  by  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  west  by  Escambia,  and  contains  about  1,600  square 
miles  of  territorj^  The  surface  and  soil  and  the  natural  productions  are 
very  nearly  like  those  of  Escambia,  which  joins  it  on  the  west.  Lum- 
bering is  the  principal  business,  and  agriculture  has  received  little 
attention.  The  country  is  well  w^atered,  the  Escambia  Eiver  and  Bay 
form  its  western  boundary,  and  Pensacola  Bay  and  Santa  Eosa  Sound 
lie  upon  its  southern,  while  the  Yellow,  Black  Water,  and  Clear  Water 
Elvers  and  various  creeks  divide  the  interior  of  the  county  and  dis- 
charge their  waters  into  Pensacola  Bay.  Milton,  located  at  the  head 
of  the  bay  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Black  Water,  is  the  chief  town  and 
county  seat.  A  large  foreign  export  trade  in  lumber  and  timber  has 
long  been  conducted  from  this  port. 

TAYLOR  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Madison  County,  east  by  La  Fayette,  south  by  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  west  by  the  Gulf  and  Jefl'erson  County  j  and  has  an  area 


28  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

of  1,300  square  miles.  The  Aucilla  River  enters  the  Gulf  on  its  western 
boundary,  and  the  Isteenhatchie  on  the  eastern,  while  the  Econflna,  Fiu- 
holloway,  and  Warrior  lie  intermediate.  There  are  several  sulphur,  iron, 
and  chalybeate  springs.  The  surface  is  generally  level,  the  lands  are 
pine  and  hammock,  and  toward  the  Gulf  coast  are  comparatively  i^oor. 
The  streams  abound  in  fine  fish,  the  coast  in, oysters,  and  the  forests  in 
game.  It  is  a  fine  range  for  cattle,  and  stock-growing  is  the  leading 
business;  though  cotton,  corn,  sugarcane,  and  tobacco  for  home  use  are 
produced  by  the  farmers.    Perry  is  the  county  seat. 

WAKULLA   COUNTY, 

Bounded  on  the  north  by  Leon,  east  by  Jefferson,  south  by  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  west  by  Franklin  and  Liberty  Counties,  from  which  it  is 
separated  by  the  Ocklockonnee  River.  It  has  an  area  of  about  650 
square  miles.  The  surface  is  generally  level,  though  sufiSciently  undu- 
lating for  drainage.  The  lands  vary  from  light  pine  to  the  richest  ham- 
mock, and  are  intersected  by  streams,  the  most  important  of  which  are 
the  Saint  Mark's,  Wakulla,  and  Sopchoppy.  There  are  numerous 
springs — sulphur,  chalybeate,  and  pure  water.  The  sulphur  springs  at 
Newport,  in  the  eastern  jiartof  the  county,  were  formerly  a  popular  re- 
sort for  invalids,  and  the  famous  Wakulla  springs,  whose  transparent 
waters  create  the  sensation,  while  floating  on  its  surface,  of  being  sus- 
pended in  the  air,  forms  one  of  the  most  wonderful  and  attractive  feat- 
ures. The  port  of  Saint  Mark's,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  that  name 
and  the  terminus  of  the  Tallahassee  Railroad,  was  formerly  a  place  of 
considerable  commercial  importance;  the.  construction  of  the  various 
lines  of  railway  from  the  Atlantic  ports  has  diverted  this  trade.  The 
streams  abound  in  fish,  and  the  coast  in  oysters,  and  with  the  facilities 
for  communication  with  the  markets  of  the  world  there  are  abundant 
inducements  for  settlement  and  cultivation.  Stock-growing  and  agri- 
culture are  the  leading  industries. 

Crawfordsville  is  the  county  seat,  and  is  near  the  center  of  the  county, 
and  in  a  fertile  and  productive  portion.  The  extension  of  the  railway, 
now  in  progress,  will  soon  afford  communication  east  and  west  with 
the  railway  system  of  the  country. 

WALTON   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Alabama  and  Holmes  County,  east  by  Holmes  and 
Washington,  south  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  west  by  Santa  Rosa 
County.  It  embraces  an  area  of  about  1,800  square  miles.  The  county 
was  first  settled  in  1823,  by  a  colony  of  Scotch  families,  who  located  in 
TJchee  Valley,  and  whose  decendants  still  possess  the  land.  The 
lands  of  Walton  County  are  principally  pine;  along  the  eastern  boundary 
much  of  the  soil  is  light,  but  there  are  exceptions,  notably  on  the  Choc- 
tawhatchie,  where  there  is  a  tract  15  miles  long  by  4  miles  wide  of  ex- 
ceeding fertility.    In  the  Uchee  Valley  is  another  tract  of  rich  land, 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  29 

witli  clay  subsoil,  of  about  tlie  same  exterit.  Along  the  eastern  and 
southern  boundaries  water  communication  with  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is 
furnished  by  the  Choctawhatchie  Kiver  and  Bay,  both  navigable  for 
steamboats,  while  the  interior  is  watered  by  numerous  creeks  and  runs, 
some  finding  their  way  into  the  Choctawhatchie,  and  others  passing  west 
into  Pensacola  Bay.  The  Jacksonville  andPensacola  Eailroad  will  cross 
this  county. 

CENTRAL  FLORIDA. 

This  division  is  made  up  of  the  territory  lying  between  the  parallels 
of  28^  and  30^  ]S^.  latitude,  and  is  composed  of  the  counties  of  La  Fayette, 
Alachua,  Levy,  Marion,  Putnam,  Volusia,  Orange,  Sumter,  Hernando, 
and  the  southern  portion  of  Taylor,  Clay,  and  Saint  John^s  Counties. 

The  surface  of  this  division  is  less  broken,  and,  as  a  whole,  more  level 
than  Northern  Florida.  It  has  more  of  savanna  and  marsh,  and  is  boun- 
tifully supplied  with  water,  having  the  Stinhatchie,  Suwannee,  Santa 
Fe,  Withlacoochee,  Crystal,'  Hillsborough,  Acklawaha,  and  Saint  John's 
Kivers,  and  is  profusely  studded  with  ponds,  lakes,  and  smaller  streams. 
The  climate  is  very  perceptibly  milder,  not  only  from  its  more  southern 
geographical  position,  but  the  narrowness  of  the  peninsula  here,  giving 
an  average  breadth  between  the  ocean  and  the  Gulf  of  only  about  ninety 
miles,  exposes  it  to  the  daily  sweep  of  the  winds  from  either  side,  and 
by  this  means  the  extremes  of  both  heat  and  cold  are  very  essentially 
modified  and  ameliorated.  The  exposure  to  daily  winds  from  each  side 
increases,  also,  the  rain  supply,  so  that  this  division  has  more  frequent 
and  abundant  rains,  and  sufl[ers  less  from  drought,  than  the  northern 
division. 

The  soils  of  Central  Florida  are  similar  to  those  of  Northern  Florida, 
with  a  large  proportion  of  hammock  and  savanna,  and  are  perhaps  of 
better  quality,  as  a  whole.  Levy,  Hernando,  Alachua,  Marion,  and 
Sumter  Counties,  taken  together,  form  a  body  of  land  that  for  produc- 
tive capacity  is  not  excelled  by  any  similar  body  in  the  United  States. 

The  staple  crops  are  similar  to  those  of  Northern  Florida,  but  the 
peculiar  adaptability  of  this  division  to  the  cultivation  of  the  sugar 
cane  and  all  semi-tropical  fruits  has  caused  cane  to  advance  rapidly 
of  late  in  the  estimation  of  farmers,  and  within  a  few  years  it  will  prob- 
ably become  the  leading  agricultural  production.  The  sugar  cane  in 
this  division  ra toons  for  six  or  eight  years  in  succession  without  pro- 
tection, and  often  attains  a  height  of  from  10  to  15  feet,  even  when  grown 
for  a  number  of  years  on  the  same  land  without  manure. 

Particular  attention  is  asked  to  the  statistical  return  of  crops  in  Her- 
nando County,  which  is  appended,  and  which,  with  other  facts  given, 
fully  sustains  the  assertion  that  Central  Florida  is  the  best  cane  region 
in  the  United  States,  and  probably  in  the  world. 

The  entire  division  is  the  natural  habitat  of  the  whole  citron  tribe; 
numerous  groves  of  the  wild  orange  have  been  found  and  still  occasion- 
ally appear,  and,  as  would  naturally  be  anticipated,  the  orange,  lemon, 


30  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

and  lime  are  natural  and  very  prolific  and  profitable  crops.  The  i)eacli 
and  the  fig*  thrive  everywhere;  the  guava  and  the  banana  do  well  with- 
out protection;  and  the  pine-apple  is  cultivated,  although  it  does  not 
flourish  as  in  South  Florida.  Irish  and  sweet  potatoes,  melons,  and  all 
kinds  of  garden  vegetables  are  cultivated  with  great  success,  and  can 
be  brought  to  maturity  at  almost  any  season,  at  the  option  of  the  culti- 
vator. 

ALACHUA  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Suwannee,  Columbia,  and  Bradford  Counties,  from 
which  it  is  separated  by  the  Santa  Fe  Eiver ;  east  by  Clay  and  P¥itnam; 
south  by  Marion  and  Levy;  and  west  by  La  Fayette  County,  from  which 
it  is  separated  by  the  Suwannee  Eiver.  It  has  an  area  of  over  1,300 
square  miles,  and  embraces  almost  every  variety  of  lands  found  in 
the  State,  from  the  richest  hammock,  high  rolling  pine,  hickory,  and 
oak,  to  the  more  level,  heavy  timbered  pine  lands.  Its  elevation  above 
the  sea  is  from  50  to  250  feet;  it  has  numerous  lakes  and  streams, 
■which  afford  good  water-i)ower  and  abound  in  excellent  fish.  Lake 
Santa  F^,  in  the  northeast  portion  of  the  county,  is  believed  to  be  the 
highest  body  of  water  in  the  eastern  portion  of  the  State,  being  on  the 
ridge  from  which  waters  flow  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  east  and  to 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  the  west. 

The  Atlantic,  Gulf  and  West  India  Transit  Eailroad  runs  directly 
through  the  county,  from  the  northeast  to  the  southwest,  entering  the 
county  near  Santa  F^  Lake.  The  Peninsular  Eailroad  intersects  it  at 
Waldo,  a  growing  and  thriving  town  in  the  northeastern  i^ortion  of  this 
county,  and  runs  nearly  due  south  to  Orange  Lake,  some  twenty  miles, 
and  is  being  extended  to  Ocala  and  thence  to  Tampa  Bay,  on  the  Gulf. 
A  canal  is  nearly  completed  from  Waldo,  connecting  with  railroad,  and 
also  connecting  Lakes  Alto,  Santa  Fe,  and  smaller  lakes,  opening  up  a 
large  area  of  excellent  lands  to  easy  access. 

Gainesville,  the  county  seat,  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  towns 
in  the  State,  both  in  population  and  business.  The  population  of  the 
county  is  increasing  from  year  to  year,  ^nd  the  agricultural  and  horti- 
cultural resources  are  developing  more  and  more  each  season. 

The  fruit  and  vegetable  industry,  only  as  yet  in  its  infancy,  has  al- 
ready assumed  large  proportions ;  450,000  packages  alone  were  shii^ped 
over  the  railroad  the  past  season.  The  staple  crops  are,  long-staple 
and  upland  cotton,  sugar  cane,  rice,  corn,  root  crops,  vegetables  of  all 
kinds,  oranges  and  other  semi-tropical  fruits.  This  county  was  early 
selected  by  the  pioneer  settlers  as  one  of  the  best  in  the  State,  and  time 
has  proved  the  wisdom  of  their  choice..  From  the  northwest  to  the 
southeast  a  peculiar  limestone  formation  is  found,  the  crust  in  many 
places  having,  from  some  cause,  sunk  down;  these  depressions  are  gen- 
erally more  or  less  full  of  water,  and  connected  by  subterranean  waters ; 
these  sinks  are  oval  and  conical  downwards,  and  from  10  to  40  feet 
deep. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  31 

HERNANDO   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Marion  and  Levy;  east  by  Sumter,  being  separated 
from  these  counties  by  the  Withlacoochee  River;  south  by  Hillsborough 
County;  and  west  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Its  area,  over  1,600  square 
miles,  fronts  on  the  Gulf  60  miles,  extending  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Withlacoochee  south  to  Anclote  River,  embracing  Crystal,  Homosassa, 
Cheseehowiska,  Wekiwachie,  Pithlochascotee,  and  Anclote  Rivers,which 
vessels  of  ordinary  draft  can  enter. 

No  county  in  the  State  has  a  more  varied  topography,  or  greater  ad- 
vantages for  the  successful  prosecution  of  agricultural  and  horticultural 
pursuits,  or  is  so  attractive  for  a  residence. 

Lands  high  and  rolling,  like  the  red  hills  of  Northern  Georgia;  high, 
smooth  tracts  of  pine  lands  ;  extensive  hammocks  of  the  richest  soil ;  fre- 
quent marl  beds;  limestone;  large  springs  of  the  purest  water;  lakes  and 
rivers  abounding  in  fish;  a  long  coast  with  frequent  harbors ;  the  bays 
and  Gulf  always  afford  fish,  oysters,  and  sponge;  a  climate  and  soil 
adapted  to  cultivation  of  cotton,  cane,  rice,  tobacco,  corn,  oats,  grass, 
and  vegetables,  having  peculiar  advantages  for  growing  the  olive,  the 
different  varieties  of  the  citrus,  the  pine-apple,  guava,  banana,  and  all 
the  semi-tropical  fruits.  Transportation  is  year  by  year  becoming  more 
rapid  and  cheap,  and  access  to  and  from  markets  easier.  Immigration, 
enterprise,  and  industry  will  make  it  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and 
desirable  portions  of  the  South.    The  county  seat  is  Brooks ville. ' 

LEVY   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Alachua,  east  by  Marion,  south  by  Hernando  and 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  west  by  the  Gulf  and  La  Fayette  County,  from 
which  the  Suwannee  River  separates  it.  It  has  an  area  of  over  1,000 
square  miles.  The  surface  is  generally  level,  being  mostly  flat  pine  wood 
land.  The  Gulf  hammock,  a  tract  of  land  of  great  fertility,  of  some 
100,000  acres,  capable  of  producing  sugar  cane  equal  to  Louisana  bot- 
toms, occupies  the  southern  portion  of  the  county.  The  Suwannee 
River  enters  the  Gulf  on  the  western  boundary,  the  Withlacoochee  on 
the  southern,  with  the  Wacasassa  about  midway  between.  The  Atlan- 
tic, Gulf  and  West  India  Transit  Railroad  runs  from  northeast  to  south- 
west through  the  county,  near  its  center,  and  intersects  the  Gulf  at  the 
harbor  of  Cedar  Keys,  where  vessels  find  entrance,  and  freight  and  pas- 
sengers are  transferred  from  the  Gulf  steamers  to  the  railroad,  thus 
affording  enlarged  facilities  for  direct  communicatioiL  with  the  markets 
of  the  North  and  the  ports  of  the  Gulf.  The  county  possesses  peculiar 
advantages  for  the  production  of  sugar  cane  and  rice,  besides  the  ordi- 
nary products  of  long-staple  cotton,  vegetables,  semi-tropical  fruits  ;  and 
stock-growing  forms  a  sure  reliance  for  revenue.  The  waters  on  the 
coast  abound  in  fish,  oysters,  and  turtle,  which  are  largely  gathered  for 
export  to  the  interior. 


32  FLORDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,  SOIL,  PRODUCTIONS, 

Bronson,  the  county  seat,  is  on  the  railroad,  the  centre  of  a  well-settled 
portion  of  the  county. 

LA  FAYETTE    COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Suwannee ;  east  by  Suwannee,  Alachua,  and  Levy, 
from  all  of  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Suwannee  River ;  south  by  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  ;  and  west  by  Taylor  County.  Contains  an  area  of  over 
1,200  square  miles.  The  land  is  principally  heavy  timbered  pine  lands, 
with  many  large  tracts  of  hammock,  a  portion  with  a  strong  clay  foun- 
dation and  productive.  The  principal  business  is  stock-growing  and 
lumbering,  but  it  is  eligible  for  agriculture  and  fruit-growing,  and  the 
Suwannee,  which  skirts  its  eastern  boundary,  is  navigable  for  steamers 
to  l^ew  Troy,  the  county  seat. 

MARION  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Alachua  and  Putman,  east  by  Putman,  Yolusia, 
and  Orange,  south  by  Sumter  and  Hernando,  and  west  by  Levy  County, 
Containing  an  area  of  1,000  square  miles.  It  is  one  of  the  largest,  most 
fertile,  productive  counties  of  the  State,  especially  in  Sea  Island  cotton 
and  sugar  cane.  The  lands  are  generally  elevated  and  undulating,  and 
drain  both  to  the  Ocean  and  Gulf.  There  is  very  little  poor  and  un. 
available  lands,  the  most  being  rich  and  productive.  The  pine  lands  are 
almost  uniformly  good,  underlaid  with  clay,  marl,  limestone.  The  ham- 
mocks are  extensive  and  very  rich,  and  will  equal  the  best  lands  of  the 
Mississippi  in  producing.  Sandstone  for  building  purposes  is  in  great 
abundance.  The  Ocklawaha  River,  a  tributary  of  the  Saint  John's,  and 
navigated  by  steamers  daily,  runs  north  across  the  center  of  the  county. 

The  celebrated  Silver  Spring  forms  a  basin  of  two  or  three  acres  in 
extent  near  the  center  of  the  county;  it  pours  forth  a  volume  of  water 
trom  one  to  two  hundred  feet  wide,  discharging  into  the  Ocklawaha. 
Blue  Spring,  almost  as  remarkable,  and  not  much  inferior  in  size,  lies 
in  the  northwestern  portion  of  the  county,  and  sends  forth  a  stream  of 
clear  blue  water  into  the  Withlacoochee  River,  some  twenty  miles  from 
the  Gulf.  Sulphur  springs  are  numerous  ;  the  most  noted  is  known  as 
Orange  Spring,  in  the  northeastern  portion  of  the  county,  which  was 
formerly  a  great  resort  for  invalids.  Orange  Lake,  celebrated  for  the 
large  orange  groves  on  its  borders,  which  are  the  most  extensive  of  any 
in  the  State,  occupying  an  area  of  over  1,000  acres,  lies  in  the  northern 
portion  of  the  county,  and  is  now  connected  by  the  Peninsular  Railroad 
with  the  Atlantic,  irulf  and  West  India  Transit  Railway  at  Waldo. 

Lakes  Churchill  and  Bryant,  in  the  eastern,  and  the  beautiful  Lake 
Weir,  in  the  southern  part  of  the  county,  are  the  most  prominent  and 
attractive  of  the  inland  water  of  the  county. 

Ocala,  the  county  seat,  situated  six  miles  from  Silver  Spring,  is  a 
growing  business  town.  The  Peninsular  Railroad  is  completed  to  this 
place,  from  which  it  will  be  extended  southward  to  Tampa  and  Charlotte 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  33 

Harbor,  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  Florida  Southern  Eailway  from 
Palatka,  on  the  Saint  John's,  and  Gainesville,  on  the  Fernandina  Rail- 
way, is  finished  to  this  place,  and  is  to  be  extended  south  to  Tampa 
and  Charlotte  Harbor.  The  government  lands  as  well  as  State  lands 
are  being  rapidly  taken  up  by  homestead  and  purchase,  ^o  part  of  the 
State,  or,  in  fact,  the  South,  offers  greater  inducements  for  permanent 
location. 

OKAXGE   COUKTY. 

Bounded  north  and  east  by  Volusia  County,  which  is  separated  from 
it  by  the  Saint  John's  River,  south  by  Brevard  and  Polk,  and  west  by 
Polk,  Sumter,  aud  Marion ;  with  an  area  of  2,300  square  miles.  The 
county  is  generally  high,  rolling  pine  land,  interspersed  with  clear-water 
lakes,  bays,  and  hammocks.  The  rolling  pine  lands  are  of  good  quality 
and  heavil^^  timbered ;  soil  dark  gray  loam,  with  sand  on  the  surface, 
based  upon  yellow  sandy  loam,  with  a  substratum  of  clay  and  marl. 
Portions  are  fiat  pine  woods  of  less  value.  Some  of  the  ijrominent  lakes 
are  Monroe,  Jesup,  Harnej^,  Eustis,  Apopka,  Dora,  Maitland,  Butler, 
and  Tohopekaliga.  These  lakes  are  from  3  to  50  square  miles  in  extent. 
There  are  innumerable  smaller  lakes,  with  areas  of  from  10  to  1,000 
acres.  The  shores  are  generally  abrupt,  rising  in  some  cases  to  70 
feet  above  the  water.  Fish  and  game  abound.  Stock-growing  has 
been  the  predominant  industry  until  later  years,  with  cottou,  corn,  and 
cane ;  but  now  fruit  culture  is  absorbing  general  attention,  and  the 
orange,  lemon,  lime,  citron,  guava,  pineapple,  and  banana,  and  every 
variety  of  Southern  fruit,  are  extensively^  cultivated.  Ko  county  in  the 
State  has  increased  in  population  and  improvement  so  rapidly  during 
the  last  ten  years  as  Orange,  and  large  accessions  from  the  Korthern 
and  Western  States,  of  refined,  cultured,  and  wealthy  citizens,  are  con- 
stantly^ being  made.  A  railroad  from  Sanford,  on  Lake  Monroe,  the 
head  of  the  larger  class  of  steamboat  navigation,  to  Orlando,  the  county 
seat,  has  been  constructed,  and  is  in  process  of  construction  south 
through  the  county,  and  to  Tampa  and  Charlotte  Harbor.  The  Saint 
John's  and  Lake  Eustis  Railway,  from  Astor,  on  the  Saint  John's,  to 
Fort  Mason,  on  Lake  Eustis,  has  also  been  completed,  an  extension  of 
which  to  Leesburg  will  i>robably  be  made.  The  industry,  energy,  and 
progressive  spirit  manifested  in  this  county  is  of  the  character  mani- 
fested in  the  North  and  ]S^orthwest,  and  cannot  fail  of  ultimate  success. 

Population,  1870,  2,195;  1880,  6,190— white,  5,494 ;  black,  696.  Num- 
ber acres  land  tilled,  13,166.  Farm  values,  $3,381,410 ;  farm  imple- 
ments and  machinery,  $52,040. 

PUTNAM  COUNTY. 

Bounded  on  the  north  by  Clay  County,  on  the  east  by  Saint  John's,  on 

the  south  by  Volusia  and  Marion,  and  on  the  west  by  Alachua  and  Clay, 

and  contains  an  area  of  over  800  square  miles.     The  Saint  John's  River 

runs  through  the  county  for  30  miles,  and  skirts  it  on  the  east  for  re- 

3290 3 


34  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

mainder,  affording  means  unexcelled  for  transportation.  Lake  George, 
a  body  of  water  about  10  miles  wide  by  20  long,  is  on  its  southern 
boundary,  and  Lake  Crescent,  of  beautiful,  clear  water,  12  miles  long, 
with  high  surroundings,  occupies  the  southeastern  corner,  and  connects 
with  the  Saint  John's  through  Dunn's  Creek.  The  Ocklawaha  River 
crosses  the  southern  portion  of  the  county  from  the  west,  and  enters 
the  Saint  John's  opposite  Welaka.  The  portion  of  the  county  lying 
east  of  the  Saint  John's,  and  extending  to  Crescent  Lake,  is  called 
Fruitland  Peninsula,  and  is  rich  and  fertile.  The  western  ])ortion  of 
the  county  is  undulating,  in  sections  slightly  hilly,  with  a  sandy  surface 
soil  and  a  red  and  gray  subsoil,  interspersed  with  fresh-water  lakes, 
and  for  cotton  and  general  farming  is  the  best  part  of  the  county.  The 
Xnne  lands  will  produce  10  bushels  of  corn  or  300  i)0unds  seed  cotton, 
and  the  hammock  20  bushels  of  corn  and  GOO  pounds  cotton  per  acre, 
without  fertilizing.  Nearer  the  Saint  John's,  generally  speaking,  the 
lands  are  less  rolling  and  fertile,  but  heavily  timbered.  Many  portions, 
however,  of  the  soil  are  rich  in  humus  and  other  products  of  vegetable 
decomposition.  The  lands  are  generally  high  enough  for  culture.  Dray- 
ton Island,  emt)racing  2,000  acres,  and  a  part  of  the  county,  is  famous 
for  its  rich  soil  and  marl.  The  county  contains  nearly  every  variety 
of  Florida  soil — swamp  lands,  high  and  low  hammock,  heavily  timbered 
with  hickory,  oak,  and  other  hard  woods,  and  the  different  qualities  of 
pine  land,  clay,  sand,  marl,  and  shell.  A  number  of  the  finest  and  oldest 
orange  groves  of  the  State  are  situated  in  this  county.  There  are  fully 
5,000  acres  in  the  county  sjiecially  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
orange.  The  fruit  culture  and  vegetable  production  for  Northern  and 
Western  markets  form  a  leading  and  profitable  business,  while  cotton^ 
rice,  sugar,  corn,  and  other  staples  are  a  permanent  reliance  for  agri- 
cultural industry.  There  are  fort.y-three  schools,  twenty-one  post-ofiices, 
and  more  than  a  dozen  places  in  the  county  where  considerable  manu- 
facturing and  a  large  mercantile  trade  is  carried  on. 

Palatka  is  the  county  seat,  and  one  ot  the  best  business  towns  of  the 
State,  situate  at  the  head  of  navigation  for  deep  draft  steamers  and 
sailing  vessels,  and  near  the  confluence  of  the  Ocklawaha.  It  possesses 
advantages  which  cannot  fail  of  rendering  it  a  tine  commercial  city.  It 
has  beautiful  churches,  good  schools,  a  nunnery,  and  two  or  three  of  the 
largest  hotels  in  the  State.  A  narrow-gauge  railroad  from  here  to  Gaines- 
ville, and  thence  to  Ocala,  has  been  completed,  and  is  being  extended 
to  Tampa  and  Charlotte  Harbor.  Palatka  is  connected  by  telegraph 
with  all  parts  of  the  country.  At  San  Mateo,  6  miles  south  of  Palatka, 
is  an  extensive  orange-packing  house,  and  the  "San  Meteo  Institute," 
an  excellent  institution  of  learning,  free  in  part. 

SUMTER   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Marion  County,  east  by  Orange,  south  by  Polk, 
and  west  by  Hernando,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Withlacoochie 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  35 

River,  and  has  au  area  of  over  1,300  square  miles.  The  general  charac- 
teristics of  Sumter  are  the  same  as  Orange,  Polk,  Hernando,  and  Marion 
Counties,  by  which  it  is  surrounded.  The  Ocklawaha  River  connects 
the  waters  of  Lakes  Griffin,  Harris,  and  Eustis,  in  the  northeastern  por- 
tion of  the  county,  with  the  Saint  John's  j  and  Lake  Pansofka,  on  the 
west,  connects  with  the  Gulf  through  the  Withlacoochie.  A  chain  of 
lakes  in  the  southeastern  portion  of  the  county  connects  with  Lake 
Harris  through  the  Pilaklikaha  Creek.  On  the  east  of  these  lakes  a 
high  rolling  ])ine  woods  country  extends  for  miles;  on  the  west  are  fine 
hammock  lands  and  grass  lands  for  stock.  The  lands  in  the  northern 
and  western  portion  of  the  county  also  are  exceptionally  good,  and 
orange-growing  is  the  prevailing  interest.  The  acres  planted  in  orange 
groves  are  numbered  by  the  hundreds,  and  the  bearing  trees  by  the 
tens  of  thousands.  Xo  county  in  the  State  is  better  adapted  to  fruit- 
growing, while  stock-raising  and  the  agricultural  staples  of  the  South 
afford  a  sure  reliance  for  the  profitable  investment  of  labor  and  capital. 
Leesburg,  located  at  the  head  of  Lake  Griffin  and  between  that  and 
Lake  Harris,  is  the  county  seat.  The  Ocklawaha  River  is  navigable  for 
small  steamers,  and  a  railway  extends  from  Lake  Eustis  to  Astor,  on  the 
Saint  John's  River. 

The  Tropical  Railway  connects  with  Fernandina,  and  the  Florida 
Southern  with  Gainesville  and  Palat  ka.  Both  are  in  process  of  construc- 
tion south,  with  the  ^iew  of  completion  to  Tampa  Bay  and  Charlotte 
Harbor. 

VOLUSIA   COUNTY, 

Bounded  north  by  Saint  John's  County  and  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  east 
by  the  Atlantic,  south  by  Brevard  and  Orange,  and  west  by  Orange 
County,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  the  Saint  John's  River.  It  con- 
tains about  1,800  square  miles.  The  Saint  John's  River  runs  the  entire 
length  of  its  western  border,  and  the  Halifax  and  Hillsborough  Rivers, 
or  lagoons,  traverse  the'  entire  eastern  boundary,  with  only  a  narrow 
strip  of  land,  formed  by  the  winds  and  waves  of  the  ocean,  extending 
between  them  and  the  ocean.  It  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  and 
thriving  counties  in  the  State.  The  lands  along  the  west  bank  of  the 
-Halifax  and  Hillsborough  Rivers,  four  or  five  miles  wide,  are  the  richest 
hammocks,  and  were  cultivated  in  sugar  cane  at  a  very  early  period  by 
the  English  and  Spaniards,  the  remains  of  whose  extensive  works  still 
exist.  It  is  said  that  four  hogsheads  of  sugar  per  acre  have  been  and 
can  be  still  i)roduced  on  these  lands.  West  of  this  is  a  belt  of  prairie, 
interspersed  with  pine  and  cabbage  palmetto,  extending  the  entire 
length  of  the  county,  and  affording  magnificent  grazing  for  stock.  Next, 
further  west,  extending  from  the  northern  end  of  the  county  south  about 
30  miles,  and  varying  in  width  from  2  to  6  or  7  miles,  is  a  high  rolling 
pine  country,  considered  by  many  the  best  for  orange  culture,  on  which 
^re  hundreds  of  beautiful  young  groves;  from  this  southward  is  a  high 
j:olling  pine  scrub,  until  the  Saint  John's  is  reached  with  its  varying 


36  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    ROIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

banks  of  rich  hammock  and  savanna.     Springs,  lakes,  and  i^onds  abound 
all  through  the  county.    Enterprise,  on  Lake  Monroe,  is  the  county  seat. 

SOUTHERN   FLORIDA. 

South  Florida,  consisting  of  that  portion  of  tlje  peninsula  south  of 
latitude  28^  north  latitude,  is  composed  of  the  counties  of  Hillsborough, 
Polk,  Brevard,  Monroe,  Manatee,  and  Dade.  From  its  low  latitude,  its 
peculiar  location,  as  interposed  between  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  and  its  proximity  to  the  Gulf  Stream,  this  division  has 
marked  characteristics  which  specially  distinguish  it. 

The  surface  is  in  the  main  flat,  and,  excepting  the  extension  within 
its  northern  i)ortion  of  the  flattened  ridge  or  plateau  upon  which  the 
State  is  mostly  situated,  the  greatest  ( levations  found  are  around  the 
external  boundaries,  while  the  depressions  are  in  the  interior,  causing 
it  to  resemble  the  basin  of  a  shallow  lake.  Thus  constructed,  and  under 
the  influence  of  the  rain-bearing  clouds  from  both  sides,  while  the  eleva- 
tion of  the  exterior  border  prevents  the  easy  egress  of  superabundant 
water,  this  division  is  not  only  well  supplied  with  rivers,  streams,  and 
small  lakes,  but  has  also  the  broad,  shallow  lake  of  Okeechobee,  and 
that  remarkable  rec'eptacle  of  surplus  fresh  water,  called  the  Everglades, 
within  its  borders,  and  occupying  a  large  portion  of  its  extent.  It  is 
quite  probable  that  a  clearing  out  of  the  obstructions  formed  in  the 
channels  of  the  numerous  river  courses  reaching  out  from  the  interior  to 
the  Gulf  and  Ocean  will  relieve  this  section  from  overflow  in  the  season 
of  excessive  rainfall,  and  reclaim  a  large  territory  of  rich  and  most 
fertile  lands,  which,  under  the  fostering  influences  of  a  climate  of  un- 
surpassed mildness,  become  exceedingly  valuable  for  their  immense 
productiveness  in  special  crops.  The  savannas  or  grass  prairies  that 
are  liable  to  periodical  inundation  during  part  of  the  year,  but  hidden 
with  a  rich  growth  of  nutritious  grasses  during  the  balance  of  the  time, 
form  a  characteristic  feature  of  South  Florida,  and  constitute  some  of 
the  best  cattle  ranges  in  the  world. 

The  climate  is  singularly  equable  and  uniform,  the  difference  between 
summer  and  winter  being  very  slight,  and  the  range  of  the  thermometer 
during  the  year  confined  within  very  narrow  limits.  Warmer  in  winter 
and  cooler  in  summer  than  any  other  portion  of  the  State,  the  climate 
is  equal  to  that  of  the  most  favored  regions  of  the  world,  and  nearly 
resembles  that  of  the  Sandwich  Islands. 

The  crops  in  this  section  would  not  include  the  cereals  grown  with 
success  in  Northern  Florida,  and  even  corn  is  not  grown  with  much  suc- 
cess, while  the  apple,  pear,  and  peach  dp  not  do  as  well ;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  long-staple  cotton,  sugar  cane,  rice,  jute,  ramie,  tobacco,  in- 
digo, cassava,  arrowroot,  coft'ee,  the  olive,  grape,  orange,  lime,  lemon, 
citron,  almond,  date,  cocoanut,  pineapple,  banana,  plantain,  and  all 
the  semi-tropical  and  tropical  fruits  thrive  as  well  as  in  any  part  of  the 
world.     The  keys  and  islands  which  line  the  coast  on  either  side,  and 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  .     37 

vary  in  extent  from  a  few  acres  to  a  number  of  square  miles,  are  equally 
available  for  tropical  products. 

BRKVARD  COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Orange  and  Volusia  Counties,  east  by  the  Atlan- 
tic Ocean,  south  by  Dade,  and  west  by  Orange,  Polk,  and  Manatee 
Counties.  It  extends  along  the  coast  for  100  miles,  and  contains  an 
area  over  4,000  square  miles.  The  famous  Indian  Eiver  extends  along 
its  eastern  boundary,  the  Kissimee  Eiver  and  Lake  forming  its  western 
boundary.  The  climate  is  even  and  pleasant  through  the  year.  Game 
is  plenty,  and  green  turtle,  fish,  and  oysters  abound.  Stock-raising  is 
largely  pursued;  the  cattle  having  a  good  range,  are  of  good  size  and 
in  good  condition.  Along  Indian  Riv^er,  the  west  bank  of  which  is  from 
10  to  20  feet  above  the  ocean,  settlements  are  being  made.  Indian 
River  has  a  reputation  for  its  oranges  and  pineapples,  and  all  semi-trop- 
ical fruits,  which  here  grow  in  perfection.  The  county  seat  is  Titus- 
ville,  a  thriving  town  on  Indian  River. 

DADE    COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Brevard  County,  east  and  south  by  Atlantic  Ocean, 
and  west  by  Monroe  County.  Has  an  area  of  over  5,000  square  miles. 
Lake  Okeechobee,  an  inland  sheet  of  water,  of  over  500  square  miles, 
without  any  visible  outlet  to  ocean  or  gulf,  occupies  the  northwestern 
corner  of  the  county,  the  famous  everglades  the  largest  portion  of  the 
remainder.  Along  the  Atlantic  coast  there  is  a  strip  of  elevated  rocky 
pine  lands,  3  to  15  miles  wide,  skirted  by  a  prairie  or  savanna,  from  a 
half  mile  to  a  mile  in  width,  reaching  to  the  everglades.  This  rich  al- 
luvial prairie  is  covered  with  an  immense  growth  of  grass.  The  climate 
is  very  equable,  the  extremes  being  from  51^  to  92^.  From  May  to 
October  rains  are  frequent ;  during  the  remainder  of  the  year  there  is 
little  rainfall.  In  the  vicinity  of  Biscayne  the  land  is  covered  with  an 
undergrowth  of  comptie,  which  yields  an  excellent  article  of  starch  and 
farina,  similar  to  arrowroot.  Dade  County  is  the  least  populous  county 
in  the  State.     Miami  is  the  county  seat. 

The  following  detailed  description  of  this  county,  and  the  section  of 
the  State  adjoining,  was  furnished  by  Lieutenant-Grovernor  Gleason,  a 
resident  of  the  county,  and  published  in  a  State  paper.  It  is  of  interest 
as  conveying  a  definite  idea  of  the  local  advantages  of  this  entire  por- 
tion of  the  State,  extending  from  Jupiter  Inlet  to  Cape  Sable,  including 
the  keys  and  islands  along  the  reefs  and  everglades : 

The  keys  are  a  series  of  islands  extending  along  the  south  coast,  from  Cape  Florida 
to  the  Dry  Tortugas,  lying  between  the  mainland  and  the  Florida  Reefs,  and  within 
from  3  to  5  miles  of  the  Gulf  Stream.  They  are  of  a  similar  character,  being  of  gen- 
eral formation  and  very  rocky.  Some  are  only  a  few  acres  in  extent,  while  others 
contain  as  many  as  15,000  acres.  Cayo  Largo  is  the  largest.  These  keys  are  only  a 
few  feet  above  tide-water,  and  are  principally  covered  with  a  growth  of  hard-wood 
timber,  consisting  of  mastic,  red  and  sweet  bay,  gumbo-limbo,  crab  wood,  palmetto, 


38  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

mangrove,  and  a  variety  of  oaks.  The  land  is  too  rocky  to  admit  of  general  cultiva- 
tion, but  is  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of  cocoanuts,  aloes,  sisal  hemp,  and  pineapples, 
all  of  which  seem  to  live  on  a  rocky  soil,  and  grow  here  with  but  very  little  attention. 
Between  these  keys  and  the  mainland  is  Barnes'  Sound  and  Biscayue  Bay.  Barnes^ 
Sound  and  Card's  Sound  are  interspersed  with  innumerable  small  keys,  covered  with 
mangroves,  and  are  under  water  at  high  tides,  and  are  the  resort  of  snipe,  curlew,  and 
other  birds.  In  both  of  these  sounds  and  Biscayne  Bay  are  great  quantities  of  turtle 
and  sponges  of  the  finest  and  best  varieties.  The  sponges  and  turtles  taken  from  these 
waters  exceed  $100,000  in  value  per  annum. 

The  bay  and  all  the  passages  between  the  keys  and  the  streams  rnnning  into  the 
bay  from  the  mainland  are  well  supplied  with  a  great  variety  of  fish,  such  as  mullet^ 
sheepshead,  grouper,  &c.,  while  incredible  quantities  of  kingfish  and  Spanish  mack- 
erel are  caught  on  the  border  of  the  Gulf  Stream. 

Biscayne  Bay  is  an  excellent  harbor  for  all  vessels  drawing  less  than  10  feet  of 
■water,  and  can  be  entered  at  all  times.  The  everglades  are  a  vast  shallow  lake,  over- 
grown with  grass,  pond- lilies,  and  other  aquatic  plants,  interspersed  with  innumera- 
ble small  islands  of  from  1  to  100  acres  each.  These  islands  are  principally  hammock 
lands  covered  over  with  a  growth  of  live  and  water  oaks  and  cocoa  plums,  with  an 
undergrowth  of  morning-glories,  grapes,  and  other  vines,  and  are  extremely  fertile. 
The  water  is  from  4  inches  to  4  feet  deep,  and  is  very  clear  and  pure.  In  many  places 
are  channels  and  sinks  where  the  water  is  from  10  to  50  feet  deep ;  these  holes  are  well 
supplied  with  fish,  of  which  the  trout  is  the  most  desirable.  Alligators  and  turtle  are 
abundant,  and  panthers,  wild  cats,  and  bears  are  quite  numerous. 

Flowers  of  the  sweetest  fragrance,  and  of  every  hue  and  color,  greet  the  eye.  The 
border  and  outer  margin  of  the  everglades  is  i)rairie  of  from  one-fourth  to  one  mile  in 
breadth,  and  comprises  some  of  the  finest  and  richest  land  in  America,  having  once 
been  a  portion  of  the  everglades,  and  formed  by  the  receding  of  the  waters.  The  soil 
is  sandy,  with  a  mixture  of  lime  and  vegetable  matter,  and  freely  effervesces  when 
brought  in  contact  with  acids. 

The  strip  of  land  between  Biscayne  Bay  and  the  everglades  is  from  3  to  15  miles  in 
breadth,  and  is  principally  rocky  pine  land,  with  an  undergrowth  of  a  species  of  sago- 
palm,  called  by  the  Indians  "  koonitie,"  which  name  has  been  generally  adopted  by 
the  whites.  It  makes  a  very  good  article  of  starch,  and  excellent  gavini,  which  can- 
not lie  distinguished  from  Bermuda  arrowroot  except  by  microscopic  tests. 

This  section  of  the  country  has  evidently  been  an  uplift  or  upheaval,  as  the  rock 
dips  at  an  angle  of  about  twentj'-three  degrees,  and  slopes  both  toward  the  bay  and 
the  everglades.  The  rock,  in  many  places,  is  in  circular  form,  and  is  coral.  The  soil 
is  sandjv,  which,  mixing  with  the  decomposed  lime  of  the  coral  rock,  forms  an  excel- 
lent andinexhaustible  soil  for  grapes  and  sugar  cane.  The  country  north  of  Biscayne 
Bay,  towards  Jupiter  Inlet,  is  of  a  similar  character  to  that  already  described,  with 
the  exception  that  there  is  no  rock.  Fine  springs  of  water  are  found  in  different  locali- 
ties, and  burst  forth  with  great  force;  some  of  these  are  mineral  springs,  principally 
chalj^beate.  Sea-island  cotton  is  grown  here,  and  it  is  a  perennial,  and  can  be  picked 
several  times  each  year.  Grapes  flourish  well,  and  are  not  subject  to  mildew,  and  ripen 
about  the  middle  of  May.  Tobacco  raised  along  the  bay  will  compare  with  the  best 
of  Cuba.  Bananas,  plantains,  oranges,  coffee,  dates,  pineapples,  rice,  indigo,  sugar, 
apples,  arrowroot,  cassava,  all  grow  and  thrive,  as  well  as  the  garden  vegetables  of 
the  Northern  and  Middle  States.  Indigo,  when  once  sown,  remains  in  the  ground  and 
ratoons  as  it  is  cut  off.  Sugar  cane  ratoons,  and  requires  planting  only  once  from 
four  to  five  years.  Sugar  cane  can  be  raised  here  with  less  labor  than  in  Cuba,  as  the 
Jand  is  easier  cultivated,  and  a  sugar  plantation  can  be  made  for  one-fifth  of  the 
money  which  it  can  in  Louisiana. 

This  section  of  the  State  is  capable  of  producing  all  the  products  of  the  West.  In- 
dies, and  there  is  no  doubt  that  when  this  portion  of  the  country  becomes  known  it 
will  be  rapidly  developed.     Sea-island  cotton  can  be  raised  with  half  the  labor  that 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  39 

i  s  required  in  the  northern  part  of  this  State  or  in  Sonth  Carolina,  as  this  is  beyond 
the  region  of  frost.  The  climate  is  very  agreeable,  being  tempered  by  the  G»lf 
Stream.  It  is  not  as  warm  here  in  summer  as  in  New  York,  or  as  cold  in  winter 
as  in  Cuba,  as  there  are  no  mountains  or  high  elevations  of  land.  The  thermometer 
averages  73°,  and  the  extremes  are  51°  and  92°. 

There  is  a  constant  sea-breeze  off  the  Gulf  Stream,  commencing  about  8  o'clock  a. 
m.  and  lasting  uatil  nearly  sundown.  The  climate  is  very  exhilarating,  and  a  white 
man  can  do  as  much  labor  in  a  day  as  in  any  portion  of  the  United  States. 

The  constant  Indian  wars,  which  have  been  more  severly  felt  in  this  county  than 
in  any  other  portion  of  this  State,  have  retarded  its  growth  and  prevented  its  develop- 
ment. Biscayne  Bay  is  within  four  days  of  New  York,  and  is  the  best  locality  in  the 
United  States  for  raising  vegetables  and  fruit  for  that  market.  All  kinds  of  vegetables 
can  be  raised  in  the  winter,  and  pineapples  and  limes  are  three  weeks  earlier  at  this 
place  than  in  the  Bahamas  or  Cuba. 

HILLSBOROUGH   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Hernando,  east  b^^  Polk,  south  by  Manatee  County, 
and  west  by  Gulf  of  Mexico.  It  contains  about  1,500  square  miles,  em- 
bracing Clearwater  Harbor,  Tampa  and  Hillsborough  Bays^  with  the 
Hillsborough,  Alafia,  and  Little  Manatee  Rivers  entering  from  the  north 
and  west,  and  many  keys  or  islands  on  the  coast.  The  land  lies  more 
level  than  in  Hernando  County,  and  though  generallj^  lighter,  is  still 
fertile.  Tamj)a  City,  a  port  of  entry  situated  at  the  head  of  Tampa  Bay 
and  mouth  of  Hillsborough  River,  is  a  thriving  place,  and  the  county 
seat.  The  citizens  are  enterprising,  and  the  cultivated  lands  and  orange 
groves  in  city  and  vicinity  show  constant  progress.  Cattle-raising  for 
export  has  always  been  a  leading  business  in  this  and  adjoining  counties. 
Large  numbers  are  exported  annuallj'  to  Cuba.  Recent  immigration 
and  increased  population  has  led  to  very  extensive  cultivation  of  oranges 
and  semi-tropical  fruits  and  vegetables,  for  which  there  is  no  better  sec- 
tion, as  climate,  soil,  and  transportation  are  favorable.  Some  tropical 
fruits  have  been  successfully  cultivated.  The  usual  Southern  staples  of 
cotton,  cane,  and  rice  are  raised,  as  also  field  crops  of  all  varieties  com- 
mon to  other  sections.  There  are  now  five  lines  of  railroads  in  contem- 
plation, three  of  which  are  in  process  of  rapid  construction,  from  the 
Saint  John's  River  and  the  Atlantic  ports,  with  Tampa  as  the  objective 
point. 

MANATEE   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Hillsborough  and  Polk ;  east  by  Brevard  and  Dade 
Counties,  being  separated  from  the  latter  by  Lake  Okeechobee  j  south 
by  Monroe  County,  and  west  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  containing  an 
area  of  over  5,000  square  miles,  and  embracing  the  northern  portion  of 
Charlotte  Harbor,  the  southern  portion  of  Tampa  Bay,  Sarasota  Bay, 
and  the  numerous  islands  adjacent.  Peace  Creek,  rising  in  Polk  County, 
subdivides  the  county  near  the  center,  and  runs  south  to  Charlotte  Har- 
bor, having  numerous  tributaries,  which,  with  many  lakes,  water  the 
interior  of  the  county.  The  Myakka  River  discharges  into  the  harbor 
further  westward,  and  the  Manatee  River,  in  the  northwestern  part  of 


40  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

the  county,  enters  Tampa  Bay.  The  surface  is  generally  level,  hinds 
light,  piney  woods,  hammocks,  and  prairie.  Pine  Level  is  the  county 
seat. 

Along  the  rivers  and  borders  of  lakes  the  land  is  very  productive j  a 
large  portion  of  the  country  is  given  up  to  stock-raising,  which  is  a  lead- 
ing and  profitable  business.  Over  100,000  head  subsist  at  no  cost  or 
care,  except* the  gathering  to  brand  and  mark,  or  for  sale  and  delivery. 
Key  West,  Cuba,  and  other  is  lands  afford  a  constant  and  good  market, 
and  steamers  and  vessels  are  regularly  engaged  in  the  transportation, 
mostly  from  Tampa  Bay  and  Charlotte  Harbor.  There  are  many  stock- 
men who  count  their  herds  bj^  the  tens  of  thousands.  Peace  Creek,  a 
large  stream,  is  susceptible  of  steam  navigation  through  the  county, 
and  is  attracting  immigrants,  especially  those  who  seek  an  equable 
climate,  and  to  locate  below  what  is  called  the  frost-line.  Long-staple 
cotton,  cane,  rice,  tobacco,  do  well,  and  will  become  leading  staples  of 
export. 

MONROE   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Manatee,  east  b}^  Dade,  south  and  west  by  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  It  has  an  area  of  about  5,000  square  miles,  a  large  portion 
of  which  is  occupied  by  what  is  known  as  the  Big  Cypress  Swamp  and 
the  Everglades.  The  county  includes  the  numerous  keys  and  islands 
off'  the  Florida  southern  coast,  the  most  important  of  which  is  Key 
West,  where  the  principal  wealth  and  population  are  located,  and  the 
southern  portion  of  Charlotte  Harbor,  Pine,  Sanibel,  and  other  islands. 
The  Caloosahatchie  traverses  the  northern  i)ortion  of  the  county  and 
enters  Charlotte  Harbor,  and  is  navigable  as  high  up  as  Fort  Thomp- 
son, some  30  miles  from  its  mouth.  It  is  contemplated  to  connect  this 
river  with  the  great  lake  Okeechobee  and  drain  the  extensive  country 
about  the  lake.  The  northern  portion  of  the  county  is*adapted  to  semi- 
tropical  and  tropical  fruits,  and  also  many  of  the  keys,  which  are  already 
famous  for  cocoanuts,  pineapples,  and  bananas.  Key  West  is  the 
county  seat. 

POLK   COUNTY. 

Bounded  north  by  Sumter  and  Orange  Counties,  east  by  Orange  and 
Brevard,  south  by  Manatee,  and  west  by  Hillsborough.  The  Kissimmee 
Lake  and  Eiver  separates  it  from  Brevard.  It  has  an  area  of  about 
1,900  square  miles,  and  its  general  characteristics  are  the  same  as  Sum- 
ter and  Manatee.  The  surface  is  undulating,  the  lands  hammock,  pine, 
and  prairie,  dotted  all  through  with  small  lakes  of  clear  water  abound- 
ing in  fish.  The  i)rairies  are  the  range  for  herds  of  cattle,  of  which  there 
are  100,000  head  in  the  county.  Bartow,  situated  on  Peace  Creek  or 
River,  is  the  county  seat,  ^nd  a  thriving  business  place.  The  lands 
within  2  or  3  miles  of  Peace  Creek  and  its  tributaries  are  excellent  farm- 
ing lands  and  well  adapted  to  the  culture  of  the  orange  and  semi-tropi- 
cal and  some  tropical  fruits. 


AND    AGKICULTUKAL    CAPABILITIES. 


41 


PRODUCTIONS   OF   FLORIDA. 

Having"  thus  presented  a  general  survey  of  the  climate,  soil,  and 
topography  of  the  State,  in  which  I  have  made  free  use  of  the  material 
furnished  through  official  publications  and  well-authenticated  sources, 
I  next  proceed  to  consider  the  productions  and  agricultural  capabilities 
of  Florida.  In  this  I  shall  avail  myself  of  the  practical  experience  of 
those  who  have  labored  to  develope  these  resources. 

So  much  has  been  said  of  the  vast  scope  of  vegetable  growth  in  Flor- 
ida that  it  is  a  cause  of  surprise  to  all  strangers  and  susi^icion  to  many, 
as  though  there  might  be  well-grounded  suspicion  of  exaggeration  or 
overstatement.  On  this  account  it  is  deemed  best  to  refer  to  some  of 
the  older  standard  writers  on  this  subject. 

In  the  "Observations"  of  Charles  Vignolles,  published  in  ^ew  York 
in  1823,  on  page  90,  we  find  the  following: 

The  following  list  of  productions  capable  of  being  raised  in  Florida  has  been  made 
out  with  some  pains,  and  it  is  believed  all  these  stated  are  protitable  and  practicable 
articles : 


Oranges,  various  kinds. 

Lemon .%, 

Lime, 

Citron, 

Shaddock, 

Mango, 

Pawpaw, 

Cocoa, 

Dates, 

Sweet  Almond, 

Bitter  Almond, 

Pistachio, 

Acuaqua, 

Gum  gleni, 

Fustic, 

Balsam, 

Hemp, 

Camphor, 

Frankincense, 

Leeche  plant  of  China, 

The  olive. 

The  vine,  all  varieties. 


Currants,  Zante, 

Pineapple, 

Figs, 

Plantain, 

Banana, 

Yam, 

Bread-fruit, 

Arrowroot, 

Gallnuts, 

Doliahos,  or  soy -lean. 

Jalap, 

Tree  rhubarb, 

Ginger, 

Gum  guiacum, 

Braziletto, 

Senna, 

Turkey  madder 

Balm  of  Gilead, 

Cloves, 

Liquid-amber, 

Aloe, 


Cinnamon, 

Pimento, 

Sago  palm, 

Red  pepper, 

Saponica, 

Jesuit's  bark, 

Besine, 

Palma  Christi,  castor-bean. 

Tea, 

Sugar, 

Tobacco, 

Rice," 

Cotton, 

Silk, 

Cork-oak, 

Chestnut, 

Sassafras, 

Sarsaparilla, 

True  opium  poppy. 

Tumeric, 

Nutmegs. 


I 


Such  a  list  seems  wonderful  enough  as  attributed  to  a  single  State, 
but  this  list,  made  fifty  years  ago,  is  far  from  comprising  all  the  products 
which  may  be  profitably  cultivated,  or  are  within  the  capacity  of  this 
soil  and  climate. 

Besides  the  staples  common  to  more  northern  latitudes,  cotton,  wheat, 
rye,  oats,  peanuts,  cow-pease,  Irish  and  sweet  potatoes,  melons,  and  all 
the  variety  of  garden  vegetables,  and  the  strawberry,  blackberry,  huckle- 
berry, plum,  pomegranate,  and  quince,  we  may  add  coffee,  cassava,  in- 


42  FLORIDA:     ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL, 

digo,  cochineal,  Sisal  liemp,  the  guava,  tamarind,  sapadillo,  avocada 
pear,  mamie-apple,  custard-apple,  pecan-nut,  &c. 

The  year  following  the  acquisition  of  the  territory  of  Florida,  1822,  a 
French  gentleman,  Peter  Stephen  Chazotte,  presented  to  Congress  a 
memorial  setting  forth  the  advantages  of  the  climate  and  soil  for  tropical 
productions,  aud  asking  that  the  government  allot  one  thousand  acres 
of  land  in  the  southern  portion  of  Florida,  with  an  appropriation  of 
$50,000,  for  the  establishment  of  an  experimental  farm  and  the  intro- 
duction and  propagation  of  coffee,  cocoa,  and  other  x)roducts  of  tropical 
countries. 

At  a  still  earlier  period,  a  proclamation  of  George  III,  issued  from  the 
Court  of  St.  James,  7th  day  of  October,  1763,  and  by  the  authority  of  a 
treaty  of  peace  concluded  at  Paris  on  the  10th  day  of  February,  the 
same  year,  assigned  to  Colonel  Grant — 

The  government  of  East  Florida,  bounded  to  the  westward  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
and  the  Apalachicola  River;  to  the  northward  by  a  line  drawn  from  that  part  of  said 
river  where  the  Chattahoochee  andFUnt  Rivers  meet,  to  the  source  of  the  Saint  Mary's 
River,  and  by  the  course  of  said  river  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean  ;  and  to  the  eastward  aud 
southward  by  the  Atlantic  Ocean  and  the  Gulf  of  Florida,  including  all  islands  within 
six  leagues  from  the  sea-coast,  with  the  expectatiou  that  rice,  indigo,  silk,  wine,  oil, 
and  other  valuable  commodities  would  be  produced  in  great  abundance. 

The  English  at  that  time  knew  little  or  nothing  about  coffee,  as  its 
cultivation  at  that  period  was  confined  to  St.  Domingo,  and  had  not 
been  introduced  upon  the  Island  of  Jamaica.  At  a  later  period,  an 
English  gentleman  of  fortune  went  to  establish  himself  in  East  Florida, 
and  entered  successfully  into  the  culture  of  coffee  and  sugar-cane,  and 
his  establishments  were  already  considerable  when  the  American  Kevo- 
lution,  in  its  effects,  caused  Florida  to  pass  into  the  hands  of  Spain. 
The  British  Government,  finding  he  had  so  far  succeeded,  would  not 
allow  him  to  remain,  but  destroyed  his  plantation,  and  carried  him  off 
with  his  slaves,  awarding  him  a  considerable  sum  for  his  loss  and  dam- 
ages. 

Mr.  Carvert  says: 

So  mild  is  the  winter  that  the  most  delicate  vegetables  and  plants  of  the  Carribee 
Islands  experience  there  not  the  least  injury  from  that  season;  the  orange  tree,  the 
plantains,  the  guava,  the  pineapple,  &c.,  grow  luxuriously.  Fogs  are  unknown 
there,  and  no  country  can,  therefore,  be  more  salubrious. 

Mr.  William  Stork,  in  his  description  of  East  Florida,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  it: 

The  productions  of  the  northern  and  southern  latitudes  grow  and  blossom  by  the 
side  of  each  other,  and  there  isscarcely  another  climate  in  the  world  that  can  vie  with 
this  in  displaying  such  an  agreeable  and  luxuriant  mixture  of  trees,  plants,  shrubs, 
and  flowers.  The  red  and  white  pine  and  the  evergreen  oak  marry  their  boughs  with 
the  chestnut  and  mahogany  trees,  the  walnut  with  the  cherry,  the  maple  with  the 
campeach,  and  the  braziletto  with  the  sassafras  tree,  which  together  cover  here  a 
variegated  and  rich  soil.  *  *  *  The  wax  myrtle  tree  grows  everywhere  here. 
*     *     *     Oranges  are  large,  more  aroijaatic  and  succulent  than  in  Portugal.     Plums 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIl^S.  43" 

naturally  grow  finer  and  of  a  quality  superior  to  those  gathered  in  the  orchards  in 
Spain.     The  wild  vines  serpentine  on  the  ground,  or  climb  jj|>H::0'^^e4o]paj9f^ee8. 
Indigo  and  cochineal  were  advantageously  cultivated  there^ 
duced  a  revenue  of  $200,000.  //TT  I^T  ^ 

Chazotte  adds,  in  1822 :  C^^^'^ERSIT 

This  country  will  produce  all  the  tropical  fruits  and  stap^^Wtjhasfd^'of  thos^j 
longing  to  a  northern  climate.  '  ^^^^n^^^*   OP  ^  \^^ 

This  fact  is  now  being  demonstrated  in  the  experience 
population  of  the  State. 

In  imi)ressiDg  upon  the  attention  of  Congress  the  advantages  of  enter- 
ing upon  the  cultivation  of  coffee  and  cocoa,  or  the  chocolate  plant,  in 
connection  with  vines,  olives,  capers,  and  almonds,  Chazotte  gives  the- 
following  statement  of  feasibility  and  profits  of  cultivation  : 

Coffee. — One  acre  of  land  planted  by  ranges,  and  the  plants  at  5  feet  distant  from 
each  other,  gives  1,764  plants.  A  man  can  take  care  of  two  acres,  which  gives  3,528- 
plants.  Each  plant  may,  by  an  average,  yield  2  pounds  or  more,  but  I  reduce  it  to  1 
pound ;  therefore,  a  man  will  give  yearly  3,528  pounds  of  coffee,  which,  at  25  cents,, 
produces  $882. 

It  is  to  be  observed  that  no  crop  is  to  be  expected  on  the  first  and  second  years ;  on 
the  third  year  the  plant  yields  a  good  crop ;  on  the  fourth  an  abundant  one,  which  it 
will  continue  to  yield  every  year  until  the  ground  is  exhausted  and  the  plant  dies.. 
For  the  two  first  years  of  the  planting,  all  kinds  of  vegetables  and  corn  may  be 
planted  between  the  ranges;  they  will  yield  two  crops  in  one  year.  Cotton  is  not  to 
be  planted  between  the  ranges. 

Cocoa. — Four  acres  of  land  planted  in  rows,  and  the  trees  at  10  feet  distant  from 
each  other,  give  1,764  trees.  A  man  is  capable  of  taking  care  of  them  and  of  gather- 
ing the  nut.  At  seven  years  of  age  each  tree  will  yield  two  pounds,  and  the  quantity 
will  increase  with  its  age ;  therefore,  a  man  will  gather  3,528  pounds  of  cocoa,  which,, 
at  15  cents  per  pound,  will  produce  $.529.20. 

This  cultivation,  differing  from  all  others,  requires  some  illustration.  It  was  for- 
merly thought  that  its  culture  required  much  labor  and  a  virgin  soil  ;  but  experience 
has  shown  that  it  grows  on  land  half  exhausted  by  the  coffee-plant,  and  in  less  than 
twelve  years'  time  acquires  such  power  as  to  destroy  the  coffee  underneath.  Hence 
it  is  now  planted  between  the  ranges  of  coffee  when  this  last  is  about  seven  years  of 
age  ;  so  that  when  the  land  would  otherwise  become  a  mere  waste,  requiring  a  hun- 
dred years  for  forests  to  rise  on  it  again  ere  it  could  recover  its  first  fruitfulness,  the 
same  land  being  again  covered  by  a  new  forest  of  productive  trees,  the  fruits  of  which 
growing  and  njaturing  all  the  year  round,  each  day  brings  in  its  crop. 

The  extraordinary  effects  of  the  cocoa  tree  in  regenerating  the  ground  upon  which 
it  gr.ows  may  easily  be  accounted  for.  This  tree  seldom  attains  higher  than  fifteen 
feet;  it  is  branchy,  its  leaves  very  large,  and  the  body,  or  stock,  of  a  middling  size  j. 
the  leaves  continually  falling  off  the  tree  while  new  ones  grow,  cover  the  earth 
with  a  thick  bed  of  leaves,  which  allow  not  even  a  blade  of  grass  to  grow  with  them. 
Hence  the  ground  requires  no  culture,  and  the  trees  but  a  light  pruning  when  any  rav- 
ages have  been  caused  by  storm.  This  constant  thick  bed  of  leaves  returns  to  th& 
earth  five  times  more  nutriment  than  the  diminutive  size  of  the  tree  requires  from  it, 
and  in  less  than  thirty  years  brings  the  soil  back  to  its  original  fertile  state. 

Having  given  the  proceeds  of  a  man's  yearly  labor  in  the  plantation  of  coffee  and 
cocoa,  I  shall  now  quit  Florida  and  enter  the  territory  of  the  United  States. 

Vines. — An  acre  of  land  planted  with  vines,  allowing  41  ranges  at  5  feetdistant,  and 
to  each  range  104  vines  at  2  feet  apart,  gives  4,264  vines  to  an  acre.  Five  acres  for  a^ 
man's  labor  give  21,320  vines ;  and  allowing  the  grapes  of  10  vines  to  yield  1  gallon  of 


44  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

wiue,  it  will  proclnce  2,132  gallons,  which,  being  rated  at  the  low  price  of  30  cents  per 
gallon,  will  produce  $639.30  for  a  man's  yearly  labor.  As  olives,  capers,  and  almond 
trees  require  no  particular  culture,  they  may  be  planted  in  ranges,  at  30  feet  distant, 
in  the  vineyard,  where  the  mildness  of  the  climate  allows  the  plantation.  In  Georgia 
and  Alabama  these  four  productions  may  be  raised  on  the  same  soil. 
Vines,  olives,  capers,  and  almonds,  planted  on  the  same  ground : 

5  acres  in  vines  produce,  as  before  stated,  for  a  man's  yearly  labor $H39  30 

175  olive  trees,  at  thirty  feet  distant,  will  yield,  after  seven  years  of  age, 
about  one  gallon  of  oil  each,  which,  valued  at  the  low  price  of  $1..50  per 
gallon,  is 262  50 

45  almond  trees,  25  caper  trees  produce,  valued  at  $1.50  105  00 

Yearly  jiroceeds  of  a  man's  labor 1, 006  80 

I  shall  now  suppose  that,  in  the  course  of  30  years,  we  may  employ  .50, 000  persons  in 

the  culture  of  vines  singly : 

They  will  cultivate  250,000  acres  of  land,  which  will  yield  an  annual  rev- 
enue of $31,965,000 

50,000  persons  in  the  culture  of  vines,  olives,  almonds,  and  capers,  on 

250,000  acres  of  land,  will  yield  an  annual  revenue  of 50,340,000 

Total 82,305,000 

Cocoa. — Fifty  thousand  perscns  engaged  in  the  culture  of  cocoa  will  cultivate 
200,000  acres  of  land,  which  will  yield  an  annual  revenue  of  |26,420,000. 

Coffee. — One  hundred  thousand  persons  engaged  in  the  culture  of  coffee  will  culti- 
vate 200,000  acres  of  land,  which  will  yield  an  annual  revenue  of  $88,200,000. 

Recapitulation  of  the  preceding  estimates : 
100,000  persons  cultivating  500,000  acres  in  vines,  olives,  &c.,  produce. .     $82, 305, 000 

50,000  persons  cultivating  200,000  acres  of  cocoa 26, 420, 000 

100,000  persons  cultivating  200,000  acres  of  coffee 88, 200,  000 

250,000  persons  cultivating  900,000  acres,  produce 196, 925, 000 

The  home  consumption  of  this  country  may  be  estimated  to  be  annually : 

Wines,  olives,  &c $17,305,0D0 

Cocoa,  &c 6,420,000 

Coffee 13,200,000 

Home  consumption 36, 925, 000 

Leaving  an  immense  surplus  of  exportation  to  foreign  countries  of^ 

Wines,  olives,  &c $6.5,000,000 

Cocoa 20,000,000 

Coffee > 75,000,000 

Exportation 160,000,000 

FIELD   CROPS— SUGAR   CANE. 

Florida,  both  in  climate  and  soil,  is  peculiarly  well  adapted  for  growth 
of  cane  ;  the  earliest  colonists  cultivated  it,  and  successive  occupants, 
French,  English,  Spanish,  American,  have  grown  it  successfully;  the 
long  period  of  warm  weather,  and  the  absence  of  cold,  give  a  longer 
period  for  the  cane  to  mature.  During  the  English  occupation  many 
large  plantations  were  opened,  and  later,  since  Florida  became  United 


h 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  45 

States  territory,  tliere  have  beeu  several  large  sugar  plantations  profit- 
ably carried  on. 

Latterly,  cane  has  only  been  planted  for  domestic  use  and  neighbor- 
hood sale.  But,  even  rudely  raised  and  rudely  manufactured,  Florida 
sugar  and  sirup  rival,  in  color,  grain,  and  quality,  the  best  Louisiana. 

Fair  land  will  produce  from  1,500  to  2,000  pounds  of  sugar;  rich  land, 
thoroughly  fertilized,  Avill  produce  from  2,000  to  4,000  pounds.  Recent 
improvements  in  sugar  machinery  have  obviated  the  necessity  of  ex- 
pensive works  formerly  required,  rendering  it  possible  for  the  small  as 
well  as  large  planter  to  manufacture  cheaply  5  its  cultivation  is  as  easy 
as  corn,  and  its  immunity  from  all  hurt  by  ordinary  enemies  to  other 
vegetation  renders  it  a  safe  crop. 

The  superiority  of  Florida  over  any  other  section  of  the  United  States 
in  adaptability  to  the  growth  of  cane  is  mainly  based  upon  her  milder 
climate,  the  greater  length  of  the  seasons,  and  the  correspondingly 
longer  growth  and  larger  size  of  the  cane.  In  Louisiana  from  three  to 
five  feet  may  be  taken  as  the  average  size  of  cane  when  harvested, 
while  in  Florida  from  five  to  seven  may  be  taken  as  the  average  size  of 
the  cane  over  the  w  hole  State,  extending  from  north  to  south  nearly  400 
miles,  and,  w  ith  fair  culture,  eight,  ten,  and  twelve  feet  are  quite  com- 
mon lengths.     As  early  as  1823,  Vignolles  wrote: 

Respecting  sugar,  the  recent  successful  trials  that  have  been  made  upon  it  have  de- 
termined the  curious  fad  that  it  will  grow  in  almost  any  of  the  soils  in  Florida  south 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Saint  John's  River;  the  great  length  of  summer,  or  period  of  ab- 
solute elevation  of  the  thermometer  above  the  freezing  point,  allows  the  cane  to  ripen 
much  higher  than  in  Louisiana. 

Williams,  writing  in  1837,  sajs: 

This  (sugar)  ought  to  be  the  staple  of  the  country.  Experiments  in  every  part  of 
the  territory  prove  tliat  ail  our  good  lands  will  produce  sugarcane  as  well  as  any  other 
crop.  *  *  "  A  general  impression  has  prevailed  that  sugar  could  not  be  made  to 
advantage  unless  a  great  capital  is  invested;  but  experience  abundantly  proves  that 
a  small  capital  may  be  as  profitably  employed  in  the  culture  of  cane  as  in  any  other 
product. 

In  an  article  on  sugar  cane  in  the  new  American  Encyclopedia  the 
climatic  disadvantages  attending  the  cultivation  of  the  sugar  cane  in 
Louisiana  are  stated  as  follows: 

Yet,  the  climate  of  Louisiana  itself  is  rather  north  of  that  best  suited  to  the  plant, 
the  cane  being  frequently  killed  by  the  frost  after  starting  in  the  spring,  and  at  ma- 
turity in  the  latter  part  of  October  and  in  November,  the  efiect  of  which  is  to  materi- 
ally diminish  its  production  of  sugar.  In  18.^7,  injurious  frosts  thus  occurred  in  April 
as  late  as  the  2*2d,  and  on  the  19th  and  20th  of  November.  In  November,  1859,  the 
cold  w^as  very  severe  on  the  12th,  13th,  14th,  and  15th,  in  all  parts  of  Louisiana,  the 
thermometer  on  the  14th  standing  at  25°  F.  at  New  Orleans,  and  thick  ice  being 
formed  in  the  most  southern  parishes.  The  eifect  of  this  was  that  the  cane  was  every- 
where frozen,  and  land  which  had  previously  given  above  two  hogsheads  to  the  acre 
yielded  barely  half  a  hogshead,  and  this  of  inferior  quality.  The  climate  is  also  sub- 
ject to  long- continued  drought,  which  seriously  injures  the  growing  crops. 

But  in  Florida  frosts  are  of  infrequent  occurrence,  and  in  South  Florida 
are  unknown.    Of  the  few  frosts  that  do  occur,  instances  as  early  as 


46  FLORIDA:    ITS    SOIL,    CLIMATE,    AND    PRODUCTIONS, 

November  or  as  late  as  April  have  beeu  known  only  at  intervals  of 
years. 

With  the  protection  against  competition  with  foreign  cheap  labor 
now  afforded  by  the  government,  sugar  will  speedily  become  one  of  the 
commanding  industries  of  Southern  Florida  especially,  and  a  source  of 
immense  wealth  to  the  State. 

Dr.  Westcott,  president  of  the  Madison  County  Agricultural  Society, 
in  1870,  gave  the  following  on  the  subject  of  cane  culture: 

It  takes  about  the  same  labor  to  cultivate  a  sugar-cane  crop  as  it  does  for  coru.  For 
a  farmer  not  cultivating  more  than  5  or  10  acres  of  cane,  the  expense  of  an  iron  mill, 
boilers  and  brickwork,  house  or  shed,  &c.,  would  not  cost  to  exceed  $400.  To  manu- 
facture 10  acres  of  cane  would  require  the  work  of  six  men  forty  days;  one  pair  of  mules, 
horses,  or  oxen  at  the  mill,  and  another  pair  to  haul  the  cane  from  the  field.  The 
profits  of  10  acres  planted  in  cane,  from  actual  experiment,  omitting  capital  required 
rfoi  boilers,  mill,  troughsforcrvstallizing, houses  for  draining,  teams,  «fcc.,  are  as  follows: 

Dr. 

Ten  days'  work  of  team  to  break  up  land,  at  |1.50  per  day $15  00 

24,000  seed  cane,  at  $10  per  M 240  <0 

Fifteen  days'  work  planting,  at  |1 15  00 

Ten  days'  work  with  hoe 10  00 

Fifteen  days'  work  with  cultivators  and  plows 22  50 

Six  men  40  days,  equal  to  240  days'  work,  manufacturing,  at  $1 240  00 

Two  pair  oxen  40  days,  at  $3  per  day 120  00 

Barrels,  &c «0  50 

723  00 
Cr. 

By  3,700  pounds  sugar  per  acre,  37,000  pounds,  at  10  cents 3, 700  00 

Showing  a  net  profit  of • 2, 977  00 

It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  produce,  by  proper  fertilizing,  2,000  pounds  of  sugar 
and  170  or  200  gallons  of  sirup,  equal  to  1,700  pounds  of  sugar,  or  a  total  of  3,700 
j)ounds  of  sugar,  of  a  superior  quality,  per  acre. 

Sugar  requires  natural  strong  land,  or  well-manured  light  land,  the 
latter  making  a  better  quality  of  sugar.  By  properly  manuring  the 
ratoon,  or  cane  springing  up  from  the  root,  after  the  first  crop  from 
i:)lantang,  it  will  yield  nearly  the  same  product  for  two  or  three  years; 
after  that  time  experience  teaches  it  is  best  to  remove  the  roots  to  other 
ground.  It  will  be  observed  that  after  the  first  planting  there  is  no 
more  expense  for  seed  cane. 

COTTON. 

Sea-island  or  long  cotton  is  raised  mostly  from  the  Suwannee  Eiver 
to  the  ocean,  and  south  of  latitude  30o.  The  average  product  per  acre 
is  from  150  to  200  pounds,  though  it  often  exceeds  double  that.  This 
species  of  cotton  is  only  raised  on  the  sea  islands  bordering  South  Car- 
olina, Georgia,  and  in  Florida,  our  State  raising  over  half  the  total  crop. 
'The  price  ranges  from  25  to  50  cents  per  pound,  though  there  are  planters 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  47 

who  readily  get  more  than  these  figures,  but  their  cotton  is  exception- 
ally fine.  Short  cotton  is  grown  west  of  the  Suwannee  to  the  western 
and  northern  boundaries  of  the  State.  It  will  average  from  200  to  500 
pounds  to  the  acre.  In  grade,  Florida  cotton  rates  with  the  best.  Cotton 
raising,  however,  is  subject  to  some  risks;  cold, rain,  drought,  or  cater- 
l>illar  often  sweeps  localities.  Generally  speaking,  it  is  a  safer  crop  in 
Florida  than  anywhere  else.  New  methods  of  cnltivation,  improved  seed, 
remedy  for  the  caterpillar,  are  adopted  by  the  intelligent  and  prudent 
planter,  who  is  not  subject  to  a  loss  which  a  careless,  shiftless  man  may 
have.  The  methods  of  cultivation  are  simple,  the  crop  itself  affording  by 
its  seed  the  very  best  fertilizer.  As  the  seed  is  fully  75  to  80  per  cent,  of 
the  cotton  as  picked,  it  is  largely  sold  and  exported,  and  its  increasing 
value  for  manufacture  renders  the  cotton  crop  profitable,  even  at  the 
present  low  price  of  the  staple.  At  the  late  cotton  exi^osition  in  At- 
lanta, Ga.,  a  bale  of  long  cotton  from  Florida  was  pronounced  by  the 
foreman  of  the  Willimantic  Thread  Factory  as  the  best  in  the  entire  col- 
lection for  his  purposes,  taking  the  first  premium. 

RICE. 

Rice,  which  constitutes  the  main  food  of  the  great  majority  of  the 
population  of  the  world,  is  raised  here  mostly  for  domestic  use.  There 
are  thousands  of  acres  in  every  section  of  the  State  peculiarly  adapted 
to  its  successful  culture.  Its  cultivation  is  as  simple  as  any  cereal  j 
usually  drilled  and  kept  clear  of  weeds,  25  to  75  bushels  of  rough  rice 
is  a  fair  crop.  liecent  introduction  of  improved  rice  machinery,  adapted 
for  individual  and  neighborhood  use,  will  stimulate  increased  produc- 
tion. Limited  by  climate,  rice  will  always  prove  a  remunerative  crop. 
It  is  generally  supposed  that  rice  is  only  successfully  grown  on  low  lands 
which  adjoin  tide-water,  and  can  be  overflowed  at  certain  dift'erent 
stages  of  growth.  It  is  true  that  the  great  bulk  of  the  crop  is  grown 
ju  this  way,  but  more  recent  experience  has  demonstrated  that  it  can 
be  grown  successfull}^  upon  dry  land,  and  upland  rice  is  now  becoming 
one  of  the  reliable  and  profitable  field  crops,  more  remunerative  even 
than  wheat  at  the  North.  The  upland  rice  from  this  State  displayed 
at  Atlanta  received  the  first  premium. 

A  low,  moist  soil  has  generally  been  planted ;  overflowing  is  not 
needed,  but  on  any  good  land  it  is  successfully  cultivated.  It  has 
needed  only  introduction  of  rice-cleaning  machinery  to  make  its  cul- 
tivation universal  in  Florida.  Quite  recently  a  comi)any  of  practical 
business  men  have  been  formed,  who  have  put  up  extensive  works, 
which  will  be  able  to  receive  and  j^repare  all  that  may  be  raised.  It 
may  be  relied  upon  as  one  of  the  i^ermanent  staple  products  of  Florida, 
which  will  add  largely  to  the  exports  of  the  State  and  afford  a  sure  and 
profitable  reliance  for  the  farmer. 


48  FLORIDA  :    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL, 

CORN. 

Coru,  wbich  is  the  great  food  staple  raised  iu  the  United  States,  es- 
pecially in  the  West,  and  which  exceeds  bj^  many  millions  of  bushels 
any  and  all  other  crops,  is  grown  in  all  portions  of  the  State,  and  the 
produce  per  acre  is  here,  as  elsewhere,  more  or  less,  according  to  fertility 
of  soil  and  cultivation.  Ordinary  pine  land  will  produce,  say,  10  bush- 
els ;  good  hammock  land,  20  to  50  bushels,  according  to  the  cultivation. 
Extra  culture  here,  as  everywhere,  will  largely  increase  the  product. 
Ex-Governor  Drew  has  raised,  near  his  mills  at  Ellaville,  in  Madison 
County,  120  bushels  of  superior  corn  to  the  acre.  Corn  here  is  planted  in 
February  to  April,  plowed  at  intervals,  laid  by  in  June  and  July  ;  blades 
stripped  for  fodder,  and  stalks  with  ears  left  in  field  to  be  harvested  at 
leisure.  It  may  be  cribbed  in  field  in  the  shuck,  suiiering  no  dam- 
age from  weather,  or  housed  in  corn-crib  near  the  dwelling;  shucked 
and  shelled  if  for  sale  or  food.  When  fed  to  stock  it  is  fed  in  shuck. 
One  person  with  one  mule  can  easily  cultivate  from  thirty  to  forty  acres, 
and  as  the  time  for  planting  to  final  plowing  is  only  from  four  to  five 
months,  it  leaves  ample  time  to  cultivate  another  crop  of  pease  or  sweet 
potatoes  with  same  labor  on  same  land.  The  corn  usually  raised  is  the 
white  variety,  largely  used  in  meal  and  hominy  for  food,  especially  at 
the  South.  The  Northern  farmer  who  has  been  used  to  see  40  to  60 
bushels  ordinarily  raised  on  the  old  homestead,  should,  in  comparing  the 
relative  production  South  and  North,  take  into  consideration  cheapness 
of  land,  number  of  acres  which  can  be  cultivated,  time  taken  to  make 
crop,  expense  of  gathering,  saving,  housing,  and  also  value,  transpor- 
tation, and  its  quality.  White  is  best  for  food.  All  things  considered, 
corn  is  one  of  the  most  useful  and  profitable  crops  to  raise  in  Florida. 

WHEAT,   RYE,   OATS. 

Wheat  in  the  northern  section  of  the  State  is  grown  to  some  extent, 
but  is  not  generally  raised  as  a  regular  crop.  Eye  and  oats  do  well,  and 
are  mostly  sown  early  in  the  fall,  affording  a  good  winter  pasturage ; 
mature  in  early  spring,  and  are  not  thrashed,  being  cured  and  fed  to 
stock  in  the  straw. 

PEANUTS. 

The  peanut,  pinder,  goober,  or  ground  pea,  as  the  plant  is  variously 
called,  grows  well  on  almost  any  warm,  light  soil.  The  seed  should  be 
planted  early  in  the  spring.  The  after  cultivation  is  simple.  A  hun- 
dred bushels  to  the  acre  is  an  average  crop.  They  are  worth  $1  to  $2 
per  bushel.  The  nut  produces  an  oil  which  is  said  to  be  equal  to  the 
finest  olive  oil. 

PEAS. 

The  common  English  pea  is  nor.  cultivated  as  a  field  crop,  but  as  a 
garden  product  is  largely  grown  for  the  winter  market,  and  affords  great 
profits.     The  cow  pea  is  extensively  grown  and  produces  excellent  crops. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    C!AP ABILITIES.  49 

It  resembles  the  bean  family  in  tlie  appearance  of  its  foliage  and  the 
manner  of  its  growth.  It  is  common  to  sow  them  between  the  rows  of 
corn  at  the  last  plowing.  They  will  produce  from  10  to  15  bushels  per 
acre,  besides  a  large  amount  of  forage.  On  account  of  the  luxuriant 
growth  of  the  vine,  on  poor  soils  even,  its  culture  as  a  green  crop,  to  be 
turned  in,  is  fully  as  advantageous  as  clover  at  the  IS^orth. 

TOBACCO. 

Tobacco  will  grow  anywhere  in  the  State.  A  superior  quality  of  Cuba 
tobacco,  from  imported  seed,  is  mostly  grown  in  Gadsden  and  adjoining 
counties,  and  fully  equals  the  best  imported.  Before  the  war  it  was  ex- 
tensively and  profitably  cultivated,  and  mostly  sold  to  Germany,  agents 
visiting  the  State  to  purchase.  It  requires  careful  attentin,  will  yield 
from  500  to  700  pounds  to  the  acre,  and  sells  for  from  20  to  30  cents  per 
pound.  Latterly  there  is  an  increasing  home  and  State  demand  by  cigar 
manufacturers,  and  the  area  of  cultivation  is  extending. 

SWEET   POTATOES. 

This  crop,  as  an  article  of  food,  is  as  universal  in  all  Southern  house- 
holds as  rice  is  to  the  Chinese,  macaroni  to  the  Italian,  or  the  Irish  potato 
to  the  Irishman.  White  or  black,  no  family  is  so  poor  but  what  has  a 
potato  patch.  It  yields  all  the  way  from  100  to  400  bushels  to  the  acre, 
according  to  soil,  cultivation  and  season;  is  grown  from  roots,  draws,  and 
slips ;  planted  from  April  to  August,  and  maturing  from  July  to  No- 
vember ;  is  of  easy  cultivation,  and  may  be  dug  and  safely  banked  in 
field  and  yard,  or  housed  ;  is  eaten  raw  or  cooked,  and  the  old-time  cook 
can  make  most  appetizing  dishes  of  it.  There  are  many  varieties  planted, 
good  and  indifferent,  and  there  is  no  excuse  for  not  raising  the  best. 
It  may  be  raised  at  a  cost  of  fifteen  cents  a  bushel,  and  brings  in  the 
home  market  from  40  cents  to  $1. 

IRISH    POTATOES. 

This  crop  does  not  produce  as  well  as  at  the  North,  but  is  off  in  time 
to  be  followed  by  a  crop  of  sweet  potatoes  the  same  year.  They  should 
be  planted  in  December  or  January,  although  good  crops  are  sometimes 
obtained  from  later  planting.  A  covering  of  muck,  grass,  or  coarse 
compost  is  very  beneficial.  The  potatoes  are  fit  for  digging  in  May. 
Thej^can  be  shipped  without  difficulty,  and  at  a  moderate  expense,  to  the 
Northern  markets,  where  they  are  worth  from  $5  to  $9  per  barrel.  The 
culture  is  essentially  the  same  as  that  practiced  at  the  North. 

ARROWROOT,   CASSAVA,   COMPTIE. 

All  these  grow  well   when  cultivated,  and  produce  astonishingly. 
Florida  arrowroot  grades  in  quality  and  price  with  the  best  Bermuda. 
Cassava,  from  which  starch  and  tapioca  are  made,  attains  great  size. 
3290 4 


60  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

Comptie,  the  bread  root  of  the  Indians,  grows  without  any  cultivation. 
All  of  the  above  have  only  been  grown  for  domestic  use  for  starch  and 
for  food,  and  have  limited  sale  in  this  and  adjoining  States.  The  atten- 
tion of  Northern  starch  manufacturers  has  lately  been  drawn  to  them, 
and  Governor  Sinclair,  of  New  Hampshire,  having  tested  the  roots  by 
actual  experiments,  has  introduced  a  pioneer  factory  in  Orange  County. 
As  either  and  all  of  these  roots  have  a  larger  percentage  of  starch  in 
them  than  the  Irish  potato,  and  can  be  grown  at  the  same  price,  and 
manufactured  all  the  year,  we  may  look  for  a  large  business  in  this  in- 
dustry. 

SISAL   HEMP,   RAMIE,   JUTE. 

All  of  the  fibrous  plants  grown  in  warm  latitudes  are  found  here. 
Some  years  ago  the  Sisal  hemp  was  largely  grown,  but  the  Indian  war 
broke  up  the  country  where  it  was  planted,  and  the  cultivation  has  not 
been  resumed  to  any  extent.  A  Key  West  writer  says  that  a  ton  of  fiber 
may  be  grown  to  an  acre,  worth  $300.  Extensive  preparations  are  being 
made  for  the  cultivation  of  jute  in  South  Florida,  and  at  no  distant  day 
it  will  become  a  leading  industry.  Col.  A.  B.  Lindermann,  of  Philadel- 
phia, is  at  the  head  of  a  company,  recently  organized,  to  test  the  culti- 
vation of  jute  and  indigo  upon  a  large  scale.  An  ample  supply  of  seed 
has  been  imported  from  India  j  suitable  lands  have  been  selected  from 
the  Disston  purchase,  in  Sumter  County,  and  arrangements  are  now 
being  made  to  procure  the  necessary  workmen.  An  expert  will  visit  the 
crop  during  the  coming  summer,  and  should  his  report  be  favorable,  a 
large  amount  of  English  capital  will  at  once  be  invested  in  the  business, 

A  variety  of  wild  jute  is  found  growing  abundantly  in  East  and  South 
Florida.  A  sample  of  the  fiber  of  this  plant,  roughly  prepared,  was 
taken  to  Dundee,  Scotland,  where  the  principal  jute  factories  of  the 
world  are  located,  and  was  valued  by  the  proprietors  of  the  works  at 
$90  per  ton.  Two  crops  can  be  readily  grown  during  the  season,  and 
improved  machinery  has  lately  been  devised  for  the  preparation  ot  the 
fiber.  The  plant  grows  vigorously  upon  low,  wet  soils,  is  difficult  to 
eradicate  w^hen  once  planted,  and  promises  to  add  another  to  the  many 
flourishing  industries  of  Florida.  It  is  believed  by  those  who  have  in- 
vestigated the  subject,  that  this  State  is  capable  of  furnishing  all  the 
jute  required  for  consumption  in  this  country,  now  imported  from  Cal- 
cutta at  a  cost  of  many  millions  annually. 

INDIGO,   CASTOR  BEAN,   AND   SILK. 

The  indigo  plant  is  indigenous  in  Florida;  during  the  English  occu- 
pation it  was  extensively  cultivated,  manufactured,  and  exported ;  now 
it  is  occasionally  made  for  domestic  use.  The  castor  bean  here  attains 
the  size  of  a  tree  often  30  feet  high,  grows  rapidly,  and  bears  largely  ; 
now  only  used  for  home  purposes.  Silk  some  years  ago  attracted  a  good 
deal  of  attention,  but  is  now  only  occasionally^  l^roduced  as  a  pastime. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  51 

The  different  species  of  mulberry  grow  here  to  perfection  from  root, 
cutting,  or  graft;  in  leaf  from  March  to  October.  In  time,  no  doubt, 
the  business  will  become  a  regular  industry.  The  company  above  re- 
ferred to  intends  to  engage  largely  in  the  culture  of  that  valuable  dye, 
indigo.  About  the  year  1770  this  article  formed  the  principal  export 
from  Florida,  and  the  old  works  still  to  be  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  New 
Smyrna,  on  Indian  Eiver,  indicate  the  vast  extent  of  the  plantations 
devoted  to  this  enterprise. 

FRUITS. 

The  most  i)roraising  and  fascinating  industry,  now  absorbing  atten- 
tion, more  particularly  in  East  and  South  Florida,  is  the  cultivation  of 
fruits,  of  which  the  citrus  family  takes  the  first  rank.  This  group  com- 
prises all  the  varieties  of  the  orange,  citron,  lemon,  lime,  and  shaddock, 
numbering  more  than  a  hundred. 

Dr.  Sickler,  who  spent  six  years  in  Italy,  and  paid  great  attention  to 
the  kinds  and  culture  of  the  citrus,  published  at  Weimar,  in  1815,  a  quarto 
volume,  called  Yolkommene  Orangerie  Gartner,  in  which  he  describes 
seventy-four  sorts.  He  arranges  the  whole  into  two  classes,  and  these 
classes  into  divisions  and  subdivisions,  without  regard  to  their  botanical 
distinctions  or  species,  as  follows: 

Lemons :  Sorts. 

Cedrats,  or  citrons 4 

Round  lemons 6 

Pear-shaped  lemons 11 

Cylindrical  lemons 4 

Gourd-sliaped  lemons 2 

Wax  lemons 5 

Lumies  lemons 8 

Cedrat,  lemons  or  citronate 6 

Limes 4 

Oranges: 

Bitter  oranges 6 

Sour  oranges 6 

Sweet  oranges 12 

Few  other  classes  of  fruits  are  more  easily  propagated  than  the  citrus, 
and  all  of  the  species  may  be  rapidly  increased  and  produced  either  by 
seeds,  cuttings,  layers,  grafting,  or  budding,  the  lime  being  the  most 
difficult  and  the  citron  the  most  easy  of  propagation.  They  differ  from 
deciduous  fruits  in  the  respect  that  like  always  produces  like,  the  seed 
of  every  variety  invariably  producing  its  kind.  Cuttings  of  thrifty  wood, 
two  years  old,  strike  fibers  as  rapidly  as  younger  wood,  though  the 
mode  of  propagating  almost  universally  adopted  in  Florida  is  by  bud- 
ding ujion  young  stocks  from  the  nursery,  or  from  the  larger  stocks  ob- 
tained from  the  forests.  The  citrus  family  of  fruits  is  supposed  to  have 
originated  in  the  warmer  parts  of  Asia,  and  to  have  derived  its  name 
from  the  town  of  Citron,  in  Judea,  though  it  has  been  cultivated  from 
time  immemorial  in  middle  and  southern  Europe,  and  is  now  cultivated 


52  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

almost  throughout  the  world,  and  in  no  higher  degree  of  perfection  than 
in  East  Florida,  south  of  the  30th  degree  of  north  latitude. 

THE   ORANGE. 

The  cultivation  of  the  orauge  {Citrus  aurantium)  in  East  Florida,  pre- 
vious to  1835,  had  attained  a  degree  of  considerable  commercial  impor- 
tance, and  the  exports  of  this  fruit  from  the  small  city  of  Saint  Augustine 
are  said  to  have  amounted  to  $100,000  annually.  On  the  Saint  John\s 
Eiver,  and  in  some  parts  of  West  Florida,  and  at  Tamjoa  Bay,  groves 
were  being  established  as  a  source  of  commercial  supply.  In  February, 
1835,  a  very  severe  frost  visited  the  State,  and  most  of  the  orange  groves 
and  other  semi-tropical  fruits  were  destroyed,  or  nearly  so,  leaving  only 
the  stumps  and  roots  to  spring  up  again.  Many  of  these  sent  up  shoots, 
and  began  to  encourage  hopes  of  returning  prosperity  to  this  branch  of 
industry.  These  hopes  were  not  permitted  to  be  realized,  however,  for  in 
1842  an  insect  called  the  Orange  coccus,  or  scale  insect,  appeared  in  the 
orange  groves,  and  spread  with  great  rapidity  over  the  whole  country, 
almost  totally  destroying  every  tree  attacked. 

This  calamity  continued  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  and  bade  defiance  to 
almost  every  effort  made  to  stay  its  blighting  force.  Many  became 
discouraged  in  the  contest  and  abandoned  further  attempts  to  re-estab- 
lish this  hen^tofore  agreeable  and  i^rofitable  branch  of  industry.  In 
1853,  however,  the  insect  began  to  decrease  in  numbers,  and  finally  dis- 
appeared, since  which  time  most  of  the  groves  now  in  the  State  must 
date  their  birth.  These  groves  are  rapidly  multiplying  in  all  parts  of 
the  State,  and  the  bearing  trees  are  now  numbered  by  tens  of  thousands, 
while  the  young  groves,  which  are  being  constantly  started,  comprise 
millions  of  trees.  The  orange  from  the  seed  produces  fruit  in  from 
seven  to  ten  years,  depending  upon  situation,  culture,  &c. 

Groves  made  from  wild  stocks,  usually  cut  off  at  a  height  of  3  to  4 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  new  shoots  budded,  generally  i^roduce 
fruit  in  three  years.  The  number  of  oranges  produced  from  a  single 
tree  varies  from  100  to  10,000,  according  to  the  age,  situation,  and  treat- 
ment of  the  tree.  The  trees  are  usuall^^  set  20  feet  apart,  and  an  acre 
will  contain  about  100  trees.  Florida  oranges  were  usually  sold,  previ- 
ous  to  1835,  at  $7.50  to  $10  per  thousand.  Now  a  demand  exists  for 
twenty  times  our  present  supply,  at  $15  to  $20  per  thousand,  as  they 
hang  upon  the  trees. 

HOW  TO  MAKE  AN  ORANGE  GROVE. 

The  judicious  selection  of  the  land  is  the  first  and  most  important 
point,  for  on  this  success  in  a  great  measure  depends.  Choose  high, 
dry  hammock  or  high  rolling  pine  land  that  has  natural  drainage  and  a 
yellowish  subsoil.  The  low,  flat  lands  which  are  underlaid  with  hard- 
pan  or  sandstone,  mixed  with  oxide  of  iron,  require  ditching  or  drain- 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  53 

ing  aDd  much  care  in  setting  the  trees,  so  that  the  roots  may  have  free 
scope  and  relief  from  standing  water.  The  most  favorable  locations  are 
ou  southeast  side  of  wide  sheets  of  water,  or  high  lands,  which  are  more 
generally  free  f.om  frost.  The  land  selected,  cleiir  thoroughly  of  all 
trees,  &c.,  break  up  well,  and  substantially  fence ;  sow  with  cow  peas, 
which  turn  under  when  in  bloom — it  improves  and  sweetens  the  soil ; 
this  may  be  done  before  or  after  planting  trees.  Dig  holes  30  feet 
ai^art,  18  inches  deep,  and  4  feet  in  diameter ;  clean  out  all  roots ;  fill 
up  with  top  soil,  which  will  retain  the  moisture ;  procure  trees  from 
three  to  five  years  old,  take  them  up  carefully,  with  all  of  the  roots  pos- 
sible, pack  uj)  with  wet  moss  as  soon  as  dug,  put  in  shade  and  out  of 
the  wind,  take  to  the  proposed  grove  carefully;  remove  soil  from  holes 
dug  sufKicient  for  the  tree,  with  roots  carefully  spread,  trunk  stand- 
ing in  same  position  as  originally  grown.  Let  the  tree,  when  set  out, 
be  fully  an  inch  above  natural  level  of  land ;  fill  under,  in  and  about 
the  roots,  compactly — it  is  best  done  by  the  hand,  filled  to  surface  and 
gently  tramped  down ;  fill  on  some  2  or  3  inches  of  earth,  which  will 
prevent  drying ;  the  rainy  season  commencing,  remove  the  soil  about 
the  tree  to  the  level  about  it.  Cultivation  should  be  frequent  and  shal- 
low, and  trash  not  allowed  to  accumulate  near  trunk ;  light  plowing  and 
raking  near  the  trees  is  best  and  safest*  Following  these  general  direc- 
tions, no  one  should  fail.  The  cost  of  a  five-acre  grove,  at,  say,  five 
years  from  planting,  at  a  liberal  estimate  where  high  pine  land  is  chosen, 
will  be  about  as  given  below.  If  hammock  land  is  taken,  the  cost  of 
clearing  will  be  more.  The  grove  will  have  begun  to  yield  at  the  end 
of  the  period  named.  Eev.  T.  E.  Moore,  Fruit  Cove,  Fla.,  has  published 
a  good  treatise  on  orange  culture. 

COST   OF  OEOVE. 

Five  acres  of  good  land,  variously  estimated,  depending  on  location. 

Cutting  timber,  clearing $75  00 

Fencing  (post  and  board  fence)  and  breaking  up 75  00 

Three  hundred  trees  and  setting  out 200  00 

Manures,  labor,  cultivating,  taxes,  &c.,  for  five  years 500  00 

Total,  less  cost  of  land 850  00 

Such  a  grove  would  readily  sell  now  in  Florida  for  $1,000  per  acre. 
From  and  after  five  years  the  annual  growth  of  trees  and  increase  of 
fruit  is  constant  for  at  least  ten  years,  and  the  grove  will  hold  its  vigor 
and  fruit-producing  qualities  for  a  century  or  more.  The  orange  is  a 
hardy  tree,  will  stand  great  extremes  of  rain  and  drought ;  it  will  show 
the  effects  of  a  single  season's  neglect,  and  quickly  show  a  single  season 
of  care  and  attention. 

THE   LEMON. 

"The  lemon  is  produced  in  East  Florida  to  a  degree  of  perfection  far 
surpassing  the  same  fruit  grown  in  the  West  Indies,  Sicily,  Italy,  or 


54  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PkODUCTIONS, 

Spain,  and  persons  familiar  with  this  fruit  in  those  countries  are  rather 
disposed  to  discredit  the  statement  that  the  lemons  of  Florida  are  of  the 
same  variety  of  fruit.  The  Sicily  lemon  ^rown  here  frequently  reaches 
from  1  to  2  pounds  in  weight,  and  is  of  a  sui^erior  quality. 

VARIOUS  FRUITS. 

There  are  five  of  the  acid  varieties  of  the  lime  ( Citrus  Umetta)  named  in 
English  nursery  catalogues.  The  juice  of  the  lime  is  x^referred  to  that 
of  the  lemon  as  being  more  wholesome  and  agreeable,  and  when  freely 
used  is  a  preventive  of  fever.  Combined  with  a  little  salt,  it  is  regarded 
by  some  of  the  old  settlers  as  a  specific  for  chills  and  fever. 

The  citron  (Citrus  medico)  is  commercially  known  in  the  United  States 
as  a  preserved  confection,  imi^orted  from  the  Mediterranean  in  oblong- 
boxes,  weighing  20  to  25  pounds  each,  and  used  by  families  as  an  addi- 
tion to  fruit  cakes,  pies,  &c.  It  is  a  native  of  the  warm  regions  of  Asia. 
Heretofore  but  little  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  cultivation  of  this 
fruit  in  Florida,  except  for  variety  and  ornaments,  and  it  is  not  usual 
to  observe  more  than  one  or  two  trees  in  a  large  garden  of  several  acres  in 
extent,  though  it  is  grown  here  with  the  greatest  ease  and  perfection,  fre- 
quently producing  fruit  weighing  10  i)ounds,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but 
that  it  may  be  cultivated,  preserved,  and  introduced  into  our  home  mar- 
kets as  an  article  of  commerce  with  great  profit  to  the  producer.  There  is 
no  other  variety  of  this  species  so  easily  propagated,  and  none  more 
hardy,  or  that  yields  its  fruit  so  quickly,  or  produces  more  abundantly; 
and  the  fact  that  both  the  fruit  and  the  sugar  for  preserving  it  are  pro- 
duced in  the  same  field,  with  equal  facility,  gives  to  the  American  cul- 
tivator a  great  advantage  over  the  foreign  producer  in  our  markets. 
The  citron  prepared  and  preserved  by  private  families  in  Florida  for 
home  use  is  of  much  finer  quality,  lighter  colored,  and  more  transparent 
than  the  imported.  The  cost  of  preparing  this  fruit  for  market  on  a 
large  scale  need  not  be  great,  and  the  combination  of  two  articles,  green 
citron  and  sugar,  the  cost  of  producing  ^yhich  does  not  exceed  one-half 
their  actual  value,  where  the  two  are  combined,  must  leave  a  large  mar- 
gin of  profit  to  those  who  engage  intelligently  and  with  proper  facili- 
ties in  the  business  of  cultivating  and  preparing  this  article  for  market. 

The  shaddock  (Citrus  decuniana)^  a  native  of  India  or  China,  is  now 
cultivated  in  all  warm  climates,  and  is  called  Arancio  massino  by  the 
Italians,  Oranger  ]pampelmouse  by  the  French,  and  sometimes  in  this 
country  mock-orange  or  forbidden  fruit.  It  was  brought  from  China  to 
the  West  Indies  by  Captain  Shaddock,  from  whom  it  derives  its  present 
name.  There  are  at  least  six  varieties,  only  one  of  which  is  useful  or 
desirable  as  a  fruit.  Some  of  these  attain  a  very  large  size,  frequently 
weighing  10  to  14  pounds.  It  is  chiefly  used  for  ornament  or  show,  and 
where  several  sorts  of  oranges  are  presented  at  desert,  it  form.^  a  strik- 
ing addition  to  the  varieties  in  the  way  of  contrast.  The  most  desirable 
variety  of  this  fruit  is  sometimes  called  grape  fruit.     It  possesses  a  red- 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  55 

(lisU  pulp,  with  most  agreeable  subacid  sweetness,  and  is  excellent  for 
quenching  thirst;  and  from  the  thickness  of  its  rind  will  keep  longer 
than  the  fruit  of  any  other  of  the  citrus  family.  This  variety  is  well 
worth  cultiv^ating  for  the  excellence  of  its  solid  vinous  pulp,  which  fur- 
nishes a  substitute  for  other  acid  fruits  in  pies,  tarts,  jellies,  &c. 

Loquat  [EHohotryajaponica)  is  known  in  the  South  as  the  Japan  plum. 
The  tree  is  an  evergreen,  and  grows  10  to  12  feet  high,  and  is  desirable 
in  evxry  Southern  garden  on  account  of  its  hardiness,  withstanding  a 
greater  degree  of  cold  than  any  of  the  semi-tropical  fruits.  It  ripens 
its  fruit  in  February  and  March,  when  most  other  fruits  are  gone;  is  a 
l^rofuse  bearer,  and  is  readily  propagated  by  seeds  and  cuttings. 

The  pine  apple  (Ananassa  sativa)  is  grown  in  some  of  the  gardens  in 
the  northern  portions  of  the  State,  but  requires  protection.  South  of 
parallel  28°  it  is  produced  in  greal  excellence  and  jierfection,  the  pines 
frequently  weighing  9  and  10  pounds  each.  This  fruit  is  easily  propa- 
gated from  suckers  and  crowns,  the  former  preferable,  however,  the 
fruit  maturing  in  three  to  four  months  after  planting  the  suckers. 

Papaw  (Carica  papaya)  is  sometimes  called  the  bread-fruit  tree.  It  is 
a  native  of  South  Ameria.  This  remarkable  tree,  though  not  much 
cultivated  at  the  present  time  in  Florida,  is  worthy  of  great  attention, 
not  only  for  the  excellence  of  its  fruit,  but  also  for  its  other  extraordi- 
nary  i)roperties.  The  tree  attains  a  growth  of  20  feet  in  height,  and 
yields  a  large  supply  of  fruit  in  three  years  from  the  seed,  and  should 
be  in  every  garden  in  Florida  south  of  30^  north  latitude.  It  thrives 
well  and  bears  profusely  at  Saint  Augustine.  The  fruit  is  pear  shaped, 
of  a  light  yellow  color,  varying  in  size  from  3  to  5  inches  in  length  and 
from  2  to  4  inches  in  diameter,  and  is  not  unlike  a  very  rix^e  muskmelon 
in  taste  and  flavor,  though  sweeter.  It  may  be  pared  and  sliced  and 
eaten  raw  as  a  desert  fruit,  or  cut  into  slices  and  soaked  in  water  till 
the  milky  j nice  is  out,  and  then  boiled  'and  served  as  a  sauce,  or  by  the 
addition  of  lemon  or  lime  juice,  it  supplies  a  most  excellent  substitute 
for  apple  sauce  or  tart  fruit,  to  which  it  is  scarcely  inferior.  The  juice 
of  the  pulp  also  forms  an  excellent  cosmetic  for  removing  freckles  from 
the  skin,  and  the  leaves  are  frequently  used,  in  the  French  West  India 
Islands,  instead  of  soap  for  cleansing  linen.  Its  remarkable  medical 
X)roperties,  however,  are  most  important,  as  it  is  the  most  powerful  ver- 
mifuge known,  a  single  dose  of  the  milky  juice  of  the  unripe  fruit,  or  of 
the  powdered  seeds  of  the  ripe  fruit  being  sufficient  to  cure  the  worst 
cases,  and  extirpate  every  worm  from  the  system  of  the  patient. 

The  most  extraordinary  property  of  the  papaw  tree  is  that  related 
by  Dr.  Browne,  in  his  Natural  History  of  Jamaica,  in  which  he  says 
that  the  toughest  meat  or  poultry  may  be  made  perfectly  tender  lor 
cooking,  by  steeping  for  eight  or  ten  minutes  in  the  milky  juice  of  this 
tree.  Dr.  Holden,  who  witnessed  its  effects  in  the  island  of  Barbadoes, 
says,  in  the  third  volume  of  the  Wernerian  Society's  Memoirs,  that  the 
juice  of  this  tree  causes  a  separation  of  the  muscular  fiber  in  meats  that 


56  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

have  been  immersed  therein  and  that  the  vapor  of  the  tree  serves  the 
same  purpose,  it  being  a  common  custom  with  the  inhabitants  to  sus- 
pend joints  of  meat,  i^oultry,  &c.,  in  the  upper  branches  of  the  trees  to 
soften  and  prepare  them  for  cooking. 

Thompson,  in  his  System  of  Ohemistr}^,  makes  an  extract  from  a 
French  work  on  chemistry,  entitled  Annales  de  Chimie,  which  states 
that — 

Fibrine  had  been  previously  supposed  to  beloDg  exclusively  to  the  animal  kingdom 
but  this  tree  had  been  found  to  contain  this  substance. 

The  papaw  tree  is  a  perpetual  bearer  of  fruits  and  flowers,  or  blossoms, 
and  yields  enormous  quantities  of  fruit,  a  single  tree  supplying  enough 
for  a  large  family. 

Custard  apple  (Anona  reticulata)  is  sometimes  called  sugar  apple. 
There  are  u})wards  of  forty  varieties  of  this  fruit,  and  nearly  all  the 
species  are  edible.  Almost  every  trojMcal  country  lays  claim  to  its 
own  favorite  variety.  In  Peru  it  is  greatly  esteemed,  and  considered 
not  inferior  to  any  other  fruit  in  the  world.  The  species  derives  its 
English  name  (custard  apple)  from  the  consistence  of  the  ])ulp  of  tin 
fruit;  and  its  rich  color,  fragrant  odor,  and  handsome  appearance  are 
well  characterized  in  the  expression,  "apples  of  gold  in  i)ictures  of 
silver." 

The  Spanish-American  cherimoyer  {Aiiona  cJierimoUa),  and  the  West 
India  soursop  {Anona  muricata),  sweetsop  {Anona  squamosa)^  and  alli- 
gator apple  {Anona  palustris)  are  of  this  genus.  This  delicious  fruit  is 
produced  in  excellent  perfection  as  far  north  as  Saint  Augustine,  and 
is  easily  propagated  from  seed. 

FIGS. 

Figs  are  easily  raised  from  cuttings,  and  begin  to  bear  in  two  years, 
producing  one  good  and  one  or  two  additional  but  inferior  crops  annu- 
ally. Two  hundred  tre(  s  may  be  set  at  nominal  cost  on  an  acre.  Th^ 
remarkable  vigor  and  thrift  attending  the  growth  of  the  fig  in  this 
State,  and  the  many  facilities  afforded  for  an  unlimited  business  grow- 
ing out  of  its  cultivation  and  preparation  for  market,  are  so  decided, 
that  this  fruit  is  worthy,  like  the  orange  and  cane,  of  special  attention 
here.  A  simi)le  preparation  of  figs  by  boiling  in  sirup  will  furnish  a 
most  palatable  and  wholesome  preserve,  that  only  needs  to  be  known 
to  become  a  universal  favorite;  and  if  figs  can  be  prepared  for  a  lucra- 
tive market,  by  drying,  anywhere  on  earth,  it  can  be  done  in  Florida. 
The  London  Encyclopedia  mentions  fifty-six  species,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing are  the  most  remarkable: 

F.  cerica,  the  common  fig  tree  with  an  upright  stem  branching  fifteen  or  twenty 
feet  high,  and  garnished  with  larg(5  palinated  or  hand-shaj)ed  leaves.  Of  this  there 
aremany  varieties,  asthe  common  fig  tree,  with  large,  oblong,  dark  purplish  bine  fruit, 
which  ripens  in  August  either  on  standards  or  walls,  and  of  which  it  carries  a  great 
quantity;  the  brown  or  chestnut  fig,  a  large,  globular,  chestnut -colored  fruit  hav- 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  57 

ing  a  purplish  delicious  pulp ;  the  black  Iscliia  fig,  a  middle-sized,  shortish,  flat- 
crowned,  blackish  fruit,  having  a  bright  pulp ;  the  green  Ischia  fig,  a  large,  oblong, 
globular-headed,  greenish  fruit,  slightly  stained  by  the  pulp  to  a  reddish-brown  color; 
the  brown  Ischia  fig,  a  small,  pyramidal,  brownish-yellow  fruit,  having  a  purplish 
rich  pulp;  the  Malta  fig,  a  small,  flat-topped,  brown  fruit;  the  round  brown  Naples 
fig,  a  globular,  middle-sized,  light-brown  fruit,  and  brownish  pulp ;  the  long,  brown 
Naples  fig,  a  long,  dark  brown  fruit,  having  a  reddish  pulp;  the  great  blue  fig,  a 
large  blue  fruit,  having  a  fine  red  pulp;  the  black  Genoa  fig,  a  large  pear-shaped, 
black-colored  fruit,  with  a  bright-red  pulp.  It  may  be  propagated  either  by  suckers 
arising  from  roots,  by  layers,  or  by  cuttings.  The  suckers  are  to  be  taken  oft"  as  low 
down  as  possible ;  trim  off  any  ragged  part  at  bottom,  leaving  the  top  entire,  espe- 
cially if  for  standard?,  and  plant  them  in  nursery  lines  at  two  or  three  feet  distance, 
or  they  may  at  once  be  planted  where  they  are  to  remain. 

The  best  season  for  proi)agating  these  trees  by  hiyers  is  in  antumn  ; 
but  it  may  be  also  done  any  time  from  October  to  March  or  April. 
Choose  the  young  i^liable  lower  shoots  from  the  fruitful  branches ;  lay 
them  in  the  usual  way,  covering  the  body  of  the  layers  3  or  4  inches 
deep  in  the  ground,  keeping  the  top  entire,  and  as  upright  as  possible  j 
and  they  will  be  rooted  and  fit  to  separate  from  the  parent  in  autumn, 
when  they  may  be  planted  either  in  the  nursery  or  where  they  are  to 
remain.  The  time  for  propagating  bj  cuttings  is  either  at  the  iall  of 
the  leaf  or  in  February.  Choose  well-ripened  shoots  of  the  preceding 
summer,  short  and  of  robust  growth,  from  about  twelve  to  fifteen 
inches  long,  having  an  inch  or  two  of  the  two  years'  wood  at  their  base, 
the  tips  left  entire ;  plant  them  six  or  eight  inches  deep,  in  a  bed  or  bor- 
der of  good  earth,  in  rows  two  feet  asunder. 

GUAIAVA. 

The  name  guaiava  {Psidium  guaiava)  is  a  corruption  of  the  Spanish 
word  guayaba.  Of  this  fruit  there  are  seventeen  different  species.  It 
is  an  evergreen  tree  or  shrub,  and  indigenous  to  Brazil,  Spanish  Amer- 
ica, and  the  West  Indies.  It  is  propagated  by  cuttings  and  seed,  and  is 
sometimes  liable  to  injury  from  severe  frosts  north  of  28^  north  lati- 
tude, but  south  of  that  line  it  is  ever-bearing,  yielding  its  delicious, 
aromatic,  and  wholesome  fruit  all  the  year  round.  Only  three  or  four 
varieties  are  known  and  cultivated  in  Florida. 

In  the  island  of  Cuba  and  in  Brazil  the  varieties  produced  are  more 
numerous,  and  large  quantities  of  the  fruit  are  made  into  jellies  for  ex- 
portation to  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  fruit  of  the  common  guaiava 
is  pear-shaped,  of  the  size  of  a  large  hen's  ^gg^  and  sometimes  larger^ 
and  has  a  smooth,  pale-yellow  skin,  inclosing  a  many-seeded  pulp  of  deli- 
cious acidity.  In  some  varieties  the  i)ulp  is  of  a  light-cream,  and  others  a 
pale-reddish  color.  This  fruit  is  greatly  esteemed  wherever  known,  and, 
being  slightly  astringent,  as  well  as  mucilaginous,  is  very  beneficial  in 
bowel  complaints.  The  roots  and  leaves  are  also  astringent,  and  are 
regarded  as  excellent  for  strengthening  the  stomach  and  bowels.  The 
plant  is  propagated  by  seeds,  cuttings,  and  suckers. 


58  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

POMEGRANATE. 

The  immes^sniiite  {Punica  granatiun)^  a  slirub  or  bush-like  tree,  is  a 
native  of  Persia  and  Syria,  and  grows  wild  in  those  countries.  It  is 
X)erfectl.y  hardy  in  all  parts  of  Florida,  and  as  far  north  as  Hilton 
Head,  S.  C,  and  is  widely  cultivated  and  much  esteemed  in  this 
State  for  the  excellence  of  its  fruit,  as  well  as  for  the  medicinal  proper. 
ties  of  the  rind  and  the  flowers,  which  are  not  only  an  excellent  febri- 
fuge, but  powerful  astringents,  and  often  used  with  great  benefit  in 
cases  of  diarrhea.  The  pulp  of  the  fruit  is  a  delicious  sub-acid  sub- 
stance, similar  in  taste  and  flavor  to  the  red  currant,  and  is  excellent 
for  alUiying  heat  and  quenching  thirst,  and  is  gently  laxative.  The 
fruit  of  the  pomegranate  is  si^herical,  the  size  of  an  orange,  with  a  gourd- 
like shell  or  rind,  which  is  filled  with  seeds  inclosed  in  membranous 
cells,  and  surrounded  with  a  juicy,  reddish  i>ulp.  There  are  several 
varieties  of  this  fruit,  comprising  early,  medium,  and  late.  Tlie  early 
and  the  medium  varieties  have  a  pale  3 ellow  skin  or  rind,  with  a  beau- 
tiful tinge  of  red  upon  the  side  or  cheek,  and  are  sparsely  dotted  Avith 
fine  pippin-like  spots.  The  latter  sorts  have  a  dark  russet-colored  rind, 
and  the  seeds  are  of  a  pale  pink  color.  This  tree  bears  a  beautiful  urn- 
shaped  scarlet  flower;  and  there  is  no  tree  more  showy  than  the  pome- 
granate when  in  flower.  The  fruit  begins  to  ripen  at  Saint  Augustine, 
ria.,  about  the  middle  of  July,  and  continues  until  the  middle  of  Decem- 
ber. It  bears  transportation  well  on  account  of  its  liard  rind,  keeps  for 
several  weeks  after  it  has  been  tak(in  from  the  tree,  and  no  doubt  may 
be  made  a  profitable  market  fruit.  It  is  increased  by  cuttings,  layers, 
and  suckers,  and  thrift^^  wood  two  years  old  strikes  fibers  as  readily  as 
younger  wood. 

BANANA. 

Banana  {Musaparadisiacci). — Of  the  banana  and  plantain  {Miisa  sapien- 
turn)  there  are  several  species.  They  are  increased  by  suckers,  and  require 
a  rich,  moist  soil,  with  warm  exposure.  Some  varieties  of  these  plants 
are  successfully  cultivated  as  far  north  as  30^  north  latitude.  The  best 
variety  for  cultivation  north  of  28^  north  latitude  is  the  one  known  as 
Musa  paradlsiaca  cavendlshii.  This  is  the  most  hardy,  and  seldom  attains 
a  height  above  8  feet,  while  the  more  tender  kinds  often  grow  20  feet 
high.  When  the  i)lant  is  fruiting,  and  all  the  flowers  are  set,  it  is 
advisable  to  cut  off  the  spadix  an  inch  or  two  above  the  last  tier  of  per- 
fectly-formed fruit,  in  order  to  hasten  and  perfect  the  remaining  fruit. 

There  are  few  more  excellent  or  delicious  dessert  fruits  than  the 
banana,  and  as  a  food  ]»lant  its  importance  and  value,  as  compared  with 
other  food  plants,  can  hardly  be  overestimated.  In  an  economical 
I)oint  of  view  it  has  never  been  appreciated  in  Florida,  where  but  little 
attention  has  been  given  to  its  cultivation.  When  it  is  realized  that  a 
plantation  of  bananas  once  established  has  never  to  be  renewed,  and 
that  one  acre  of  this  fruit  will  i)roduce  as  much  food  as  130  acres  of 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  59 

wheat,  or  45  acres  of  potatoes,  its  value  and  importance  will  be  readily 
acknowledged.  As  tLis  plant  is  a  great  feeder,  aud  when  once  planted 
lasts  for  a  lifetime,  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  jdantings  shoukl 
be  made  upon  strong  rich  soil,  or  that  the  plants  be  kept  highly  manured, 
to  secure  permanent  supplies  of  the  best  fruit.  In  Brazil  and  other 
tropical  countries  plantations  are  formed  b3^  setting  the  plants  20  feet 
apart;  but  as  the  kinds  usually  planted  in  those  countries  are  of  a  larger 
species  than  those  recommended  for  Northern  Florida,  plants  of  the 
Musa  paradisiaca  cacendishii  variety  should  be  set  10  feet  apart  each 
way,  and  in  a  good  soil  they  will  soon  cover  the  ground,  as  they  increase 
rapidly  under  favorable  circumstances.  Each  i)iant  produces  one,  and 
only  one,  bunch  of  bananas,  when  it  is  cut  down  with  a  sharp  spade 
or  ax  to  give  i)lace  to  succeeding  plants. 

When  the  enormous  yield  of  this  fruit  is  considered,  and  the  fact 
taken  into  account  that  when  once  properlj^  planted  it  needs  no  other 
attention  than  simply  gathering  the  fruit,  the  demand  for  which  is 
almost  unlimited,  it  is  evident  that  its  cuitiv^ation.  could  be  made  very 
l)rofitable. 

DATE   PALM. 

The  date  palm  (Phoenix  dactylifera)  is  an  excellent  and  valuable  fruit, 
and  is  cultivated  with  entire  success  south  of  28°  north  latitude,  and 
the  tree  often  perfects  its  fruit  as  far  north  as  30^  north  latitude.  Nu- 
merous large  and  beautiful  si)ecimens  of  this  tree  may  be  seen  in  the 
gardens  at  Saint  Augustine.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  trees  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom.  Its  long,  graceful,  ever  verdant,  ever-waving,  ever- 
changing  branches  make  it  the  most  picturesque  of  all  others  for  land- 
scape gardening,  and  should  adorn  the  grounds  of  every  homestead  in 
Florida. 

The  fruit  is  greatly  and  justly  esteemed  by  the  inhabitants  of  Egypt, 
Arabia,  and  Persia  on  account  of  its  concentrated  and  nutritious  prop- 
erties; large  numbers  subsist  almost  entirely  upon  it.  It  is  generally 
the  sole  food  of  the  Arabs  and  their  camels  in  their  long  and  tedious 
journeys  over  the  desert,  the  voyagers  feeding  upon  the  fruit  and  the 
animals  upon  the  stones.  The  inhabitants  of  these  countries  also  boast 
of  the  medicinal  qualities  of  the  date  fruit,  and  of  the  numerous  uses  to 
which  the  different  productions  of  this  tree  may  be  applied.  From  the 
leaves  they  make  couches,  "baskets,  bags,  mats,  aud  brushes  ;  from  the 
branches  or  stalks,  cages  for  their  poultry  and  fences  for  their  gardens; 
from  the  fibers  of  the  trunk,  thread,  ropes,  and  rigging;  from  the  sap,  a 
spirituous  liquor,  and  the  body  of  the  tree  furnishes  fuel.  The  date  palm 
is  propagated  from  the  seeds  and  suckers,  but  more  successfully  from 
the  former.  The  cultivation  of  this  fruit  should  be  greatly  extended,  as 
it  may  become  an  important  and  profitable  resource  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Southern  Florida.  The  bunches  or  clusters  of  this  fruit  often  attain 
a  weight  of  15  pounds. 


wW 


60  floeida:  its  climate,  soil, 

persimmon. 

The  persimmon  is  foand  wild  in  every  section  of  the  State.  The  fruit, 
at  least  to  the  natives,  is  agreeable  to  the  taste,  and,  rii>e  or  dry,  is  used 
largely  for  the  table  and  for  home-made  beer.  Some  Japan  varieties 
are  now  being  introduced,  which  are  said  to  be  of  very  large  size,  and 
seedless.  The  Japanese  esteem  the  persimmon  as  their  most  valuable 
fruit. 

GRAPES. 

The  grape  is  found  wild  in  the  forests  of  Florida,  and  grows  luxuriantly. 
The  foreign  varieties  grow  and  fruit  well,  but  are  afflicted  with  the  Phyl- 
loxera^ and  their  successful  cultivation  is  not  permanently  reliable.  The 
Saint  Augustine  grape,  so  called,  is  a  choice  grape  for  the  table,  or  for 
wines.  It  grows  luxuriantly;  but  is  subject  to  rot  during  the  rainy  sea- 
son. It  resembles  the  grape  from  w^hich  tlie  Madeira  wines  are  made. 
The  Scuppernong,  in  all  its  varieties,  is  the  most  reliable,  as  it  is  a  rank 
grower,  prolific  in  fruit,  and  free  from  disease.  It  makes  a  wine  equal 
to  the  best  Oalifornia,  and  can  be  grown  to  great  profit.  Forty-five  feet 
square  are  allowed  to  each  vine,  and  it  soon  occupies  this  space,  yield- 
ing many  bushels  to  each  plant.  It  is  a  late  grape,  and  a  good  table 
fruit.     An  acre  yields  upwards  of  2,000  gallons  of  wine. 

PEACHES. 

The  peach  is  a  sure  tree  here,  bearing  in  two  years  from  tlie  seed,  and 
early  varieties  of  good  size  and  flavor  ripening  in  May,  June,  and  July. 
The  apricot  and  nectarine  are  also  safe  to  cultivate.  As  yet,  no  disease 
has  affected  the  trees,  and  they  retain  their  vigor  and  prolific  bearing 
for  many  years. 

The  northern  grown  trees  do  not  do  well,  as  they  do  not  seem  able  to 
adapt  themselves  to  the  climate,  but  seedlings  succeed,  make  a  rapid 
growth,  and  are  true  to  the  variety  planted.  Some  very  fine  varieties 
have  been  produced,  and  when  this  fruit  shall  receive  the  attention 
due  to  its  value  and  importance,  it  will  be  found  a  valuable  product  for 
export  to  northern  markets,  where  it  can  be  placed  in  advance  of  the 
products  there,  and  command  good  prices. 

PEARS. 

The  northern  varieties  of  the  pear  do  well  here,  though  they  grow  and 
bear  fruit  at  uncertain  periods.  But  the  Le  Conte  pear,  as  it  is  called, 
is  a  southern  variety,  equal  to  the  Bartlett,  free  from  disease,  and  pro- 
lific to  a  high  degree.  It  is  rapidly  graining  favor,  and  its  cultivation  is 
being  extended.  It  brings  from  $6  to  $10  per  bushel  in  the  northern 
market,  where  it  is  placed  in  advance  of  the  more  northern  varieties. 
It  yields  aii  enormous  profit,  greater  than  the  orange  in  many  localities- 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  61 

APPLES. 

The  cultivation  of  the  ai3ple  here  is  of  doubtful  utilitj^,  though  it  is  be- 
lieved that  some  of  the  earlier  varieties  may  be  advantageously  intro- 
duced. 

NECTARINE,   APRICOT,   AND   PLUM. 

The  nectarine  {Amy  g  dolus  per  sica)^  the  apricot  {Prunus  armeniaca),  and 
the  almond  {Amygdalus  communis)  are  all  at  home  in  Florida,  and  not 
less  vigorous  and  healthy,  but  not  reliable  for  fruiting  in  all  jjortions  of 
the  State,  whether  from  defective  culture  or  adaptability  to  the  variety 
of  soils  is  not  yet  determined,  as  very  little  attention  has  been  given 
to  them. 

The  plum  and  prune  [Prunus  cbmestica)  are  also  healthy  and  produc- 
tive, but  not  exempt  from  the  ravages  of  the  curculio,  so  prevalent  at 
the  north.  All  the  varieties  of  the  wild  plum  are  indigenous  and  abund- 
ant in  every  part  of  the  State.  Many  of  the  varieties  are  of  excellent 
quality,  and,  when  cooked,  form  a  delicious  preserve  for  family  use,  or 
for  canning. 

OLIVE. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  trees  grown  for  ornament,  this  most  val- 
uable tree,  the  olive,  has  not  been  cultivated  in  this  State.  That  it  will 
succeed  well  here  is  evident  from  the  specimens  now  growing.  Ke- 
cently,  attention  has  been  directed  to  its  cultivation,  and  it  will  become 
widely  planted.  It  commences  to  bear  at  about  ten  years  from  the  seed, 
increasing  yearly  to  the  age  of  thirty  years,  bearing  annually.  They  are 
very  long-lived  5  some  trees  in  Europe  are  known  to  be  eight  hundred 
years  old,  and  show  no  signs  of  decay.  The  fruit  and  oil  are  valuable 
as  food  and  of  commercial  importance. 

NUTS. 

The  pecan  nut  and  the  Madeira  nut  succeed  well,  and  produce  abund- 
antly in  the  northern  portion  of  the  State. 

The  cocoa-nut  and  the  Brazil  nut  are  produced  in  the  southern  portion, 
and  the  former  is  receiving  special  attention  in  Monroe  County,  where 
thousands  are  being  planted  in  the  vicinity  of  Key  West.  Large  groves 
are  also  being  set  out  on  Lake  Worth. 

TEA. 

The  tea  plant  has  long  been  successfully  cultivated  in  Georgia,  and 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  at  Wash- 
ington, it  has  been  largely  diffused  through  this  State  ^  and  while  it  may 
not,  in  the  face  of  competition  with  foreign  labor,  immediately  become 
remunerative,  yet  it  will  be  produced  to  some  extent  for  home  consump- 
tion, and  in  time  may  become  a  i)rofitable  product. 


62  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

COFFEE. 

The  coffee  plant  has  been  successfully  introduced  from  South  America, 
and  its  production  in  South  Florida  gives  the  assurance  that  it  may  be 
grown  in  that  portion  of  the  State  at  least,  if  not  further  north,  and 
that  in  time  it  may  become  an  important  factor  in  the  varied  industries 
and  products  of  the  South.  The  first  pound  of  coffee  ever  produced  in 
the  United  States  by  open-air  culture  was  grown  in  Manatee,  and  re- 
ceived the  premium  offered  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture. 

STRAWBERRIES. 

This  queen  of  small  fruits  nowhere  in  the  world  finds  a  better  loca- 
tion for  culture;  plants  put  out  in  September  fruit  often  in  January, 
frequently  in  February,  and  may  be  counted  in  full  bearing  and  ripen- 
ing in  March  and  April.  The  growers  about  Jacksonville  and  up  the 
Saint  John's  Eiver  are  many,  and  shii)ments  have  been  made  largely 
and  profitably.  In  size,  color,  bouquet,  and  taste,  they  are  superior  to 
most,  equal  to  the  best,  and  surpassed  by  none  *,  the  best  varieties  only 
are  grown.  The  cultivators  pick  carefully,  select  and  pack  honestly ; 
and  Florida  strawberries,  like  Florida  oranges,  have  earned  a  name. 
By  using  refrigerators  the  fruit  reaches  New  York  and  the  Northern 
cities,  fresh  and  cool,  only  about  four  days  from  picking.  Being  always 
in  advance  of  any  other  locality  by  some  weeks,  the  first  shipments 
bring  large  prices,  and  the  demand  keeps  pace  with  the  supply. 


The  low-creeping  blackberry,  or  dewberry,  abounds  in  old  fields  and 
road-sides,  and  ripens  in  April.  The  high  bush,  also  found  in  same  lo- 
calities, ripens  in  June  and  July;  the  huckleberry  about  the  same  time. 
All  bear  well,  and  can  be  had  for  picking.  The  improved  kinds  do  well 
where  tried. 

MELONS. 

Watermelons,  muskmelons,  and  cantaleups  are  readily  produced  every- 
where in  the  State,  and  the  first  are  grown  extensively  for  export  to  the 
Northern  cities.  One  thousand  melons  to  the  acre  is  considered  a  fair 
crop,  and  the  standard  size  for  export  is  20  pounds  and  upwards.  They 
are  grown  to  the  size  of  60  pounds  or  more,  and  no  better  fruit  is  i)ro- 
duced  anywhere. 

VEGETABLES. 

Along  the  navigable  streams  and  the  lines  of  railway,  the  raising  of 
vegetables  for  export  has  become  an  important  element  in  the  pros- 
perity of  Florida,  and  is  rapidly  assuming  proportions  which  claim  at- 
tention from  the  transportation  lines  and  the  cities  of  the  North.  To- 
matoes, cucumbers,  cabbages,  celery,  lettuce,  beets,  turnips,  onions,  Irish 
potatoes,  snai)-beans,  Lima  beans,  pease,  egg-plants,  okra,  and  all  the  va- 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  63 

• 
riety  of  vegetables  are  produced  most  successfully  duriug  the  winter 

and  spring  months,  and  as  improved  methods  and  better  culture  are 

introduced,  the  results  prove  that  every  month  in  the  year  may  yield 

handsome  returns  to  the  cultivator  of  the  soil,  and  demonstrate  that 

the  cheap  lands  of  Florida  may  aftbrd  greater  returns  in  value  for  the 

same  labor  than  the  best  lands  of  the  North  and  West. 

WORK   OF   THE   SEASONS. 

The  farm  and  garden  work  for  the  year  is  briefly  indicated,  as  follows: 

In  January  plant  Irish  potatoes,  pease,  beets,  turnips,  cabbage,  and 
all  hardy  or  semi-hardy  vegetables;  make  hot-beds  for  pushing  the  more 
tender  x^lants,  such  as  melons,  tomatoes,  okra,  egg-plants,  i&c;  set  out 
fruit  and  other  trees  and  shrubbery. 

February. — Keep  planting  for  a  succession,  same  as  in  January  ;  in  ad- 
dition, plant  vines  of  all  kinds,  shrubbery,  and  fruit  trees  of  all  kinds, 
especially  of  the  citrus  family,  snap-beans,  corn ;  bed  sweet  potatoes  for 
draws  and  slips.  Oats  may  also  be  still  sown,  as  they  are  in  i)revious 
months. 

March. — Corn,  oats,  and  plantingof  February  may  be  continued ;  trans- 
plant tomatoes,  egg-plants,  melons,  beans,  and  vines  of  all  kindsj  mul- 
berries and  blackberries  are  now  ripening.  • 

April. — Plant  as  in  March,  except  Irish  potatoes,  kohl  rabi,  turnips; 
continue  to  transplant  tomatoes,  okra,  egg-plants ;  sow  millet,  corn,  cow 
peas,  for  fodder;  plant  the  butter-bean,  lady  pease;  dig  Irish  potatoes. 
Onions,  beets,  and  usual  early  vegetables  should  be  plenty  for  table. 

May. — Plant  sweet  potatoes  for  draws  in  beds ;  continue  planting  corn 
for  table ;  snap-beans,  pease,  and  cucumbers  ought  to  be  w  ell  forward  for 
use;  continue  iDlanting  okra,  egg-plants,  pepper,  and  butter  beans. 

June. — The  heavy  planting  of  sweet  potatoes  and  cow  peas  is  now  in 
order;  Irish  potatoes,  tomatoes,  and  a  great  variety  of  table  vegetables 
are  now  ready,  as  also  i)lums,  early  peaches,  and  grapes. 

July. — Sweet  potatoes  and  cow  peas  are  safe  to  plant,  the  rainy  sea- 
son bein g  favorable ;  grapes,  peaches,  and  figs  are  in  full  season.  Orange 
trees  may  be  set  out  if  the  season  is  wet. 

August. — Finish  up  j^lanting  sw^eet  i)otatoes  and  cow  peas;  sow  cab- 
bage, cauliflower,  turnips  for  fall  planting;  plant  kohl  rabi  and  rutaba- 
gas; transplant  orange  trees  and  bud  ;  last  of  month  plant  a  few  Irish 
I)otatoes  and  beans. 

September. — Now  is  the  time  to  commence  for  the  true  winter  garden, 
the  garden  which  is  commenced  in  the  North  in  April  and  May.  Plant 
the  whole  range  of  vegetables  except  sweet  potatoes;  set  out  asparagus, 
onion  sets,  and  strawberry  plants. 

October. — Plant  same  as  last  month;  \)ut  in  garden  peas;  set  out  cab- 
bage plants  ;  dig  sw^eet  x)otatoes ;  sow  oats,  rye,  &c. 

November. — A  good  month  for  garden;  continue  to  plant  and  trans- 
plant, same  as  for  October  ;  sow  oats,  barley,  and  rye  for  winter  pastur- 


64  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SO] 

• 
age  or  crops;  dig  sweet  potatoes;  house  or  bank  them ;  make  sugar  and 
sirup. 

December. — Clear  up  generally;  fence,  ditch,  manure,  and  sow  and 
plant  hardy  vegetables ;  plant,  set  out  orange  trees,  fruit  trees,  and 
shrubbery  ;  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  an  occasional  frost ;  a  slight  pro- 
tection will  pi:event  injury. 

TIMBER  AND   LUMBER. 

Of  the  states,  Florida  has  the  largest  area  of  origiaal  growth  of  tim- 
ber. Excluding  land  in  cultivation,  the  area  covered  by  lakes,  rivers, 
savannas,  &c.,  there  are  probably  nearly,  if  not  quite,  30,000,000  acres 
of  land  covered  with  timber,  and  of  this  the  yellow  pine  is  fully  three- 
quarters.  The  level  lands,  rolling  lands,  are  mostly  covered  with  the 
yellow  and  i^itch  pine,  which  attains  a  great  size  in  girth  and  length. 
The  lower  lands,  near  rivers,  lakes,  swamps,  abound  in  valuable  timber, 
of  which  live  oak,  other  species  of  oak,  hickory,  asli,  beech,  cedar,  mag- 
nolia, sweet  bay,  gum,  cypress,  constitute  a  great  proportion.  The  red 
cedar  is  particularly  adapted  for  lead  pencils,  and  largely  exported  to 
Europe  for  the  best  manufacturers,  as  also  North  and  East.  The  mag- 
nolia and  bay  are  fine  woods  for  onamental  furniture;  the  cypress  val- 
uable for  shingles,  sash,  doors,  blinds  and  Inside  finish,  railroad  ties. 
The  yellow  and  pitch  pine  has  a  world-wide  reputation  as  being  the 
best  for  an3'  and  all  uses  where  strength,  elasticity,  and  durability  are 
desired,  and  is  now  being  largely  used  in  ornamental  and  expensive 
structures.  Finished  up  in  its  natural  grain  for  inside  work,  floors, 
frames,  pillars,  arches,  roofs,  it  presents  that  substantial  as  well  as  rich 
finish  not  attained  with  other  material.  An  extensive  business  has  long 
been  prosecuted  in  the  western  portion  of  the  State  in  the  exportation 
of  pine  timber  and  lumber,  and  live  oak  and  cedar  have  been  supplied 
in  large  quantities  for  naval  architecture  and  the  manufacture  of  pen- 
cils. Large  establishments  for  the  manufacture  of  lumber  for  exporta- 
tion to  northern  and  foreign  ports  are  located  on  the  navigable  streams 
and  railroads.  Naval  stores  are  also  largely  exported,  and  afford  a  re- 
liable source  of  revenue  to  the  State  and  the  manufacturers. 

THE   FORESTS   OF   FLORIDA. 

From  a  gentleman  who  has  been  connected  with  the  Tenth  Census  of 
the  United  States  the  following  information  has  been  obtained  relative 
to  the  forest  growth  of  this  State: 

The  variety  of  trees  in  Florida  is  greater  than  in  any  other  of  the  States,  there  being 
nearly,  or  quite,  two  hundred  arborescent  species,  or  half  of  all  in  the  United  States. 

One  of  these,  the  yellow  pine,  is  a  hundredfold  more  abundant  and  more  valuable 
than  all  the  others  combined.  This  is  the  most  valuable  of  American  trees  for  fram- 
ing-timber, flooring,  &c.,  and  the  present  reserve  of  it  is  almost  wholly  confined  to 
South  Georgia  and  the  northern  half  of  Florida.  This  is  the  tree  from  which  turpen- 
tine and  rosin  are  obtained.  There  is  very  little  yellow  pine  suitable  for  shipping 
south  of  latitude  29°,  but  plenty  for  home  consumption  as  far  south  as  latitude  "27°. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  65 

South  of  latitude  27°,  to  the  southern  limit  of  the  State,  there  is  plenty  of  the  South- 
ern pitch  pine,  which  is  equally  good  for  turpentine,  and  furnishes  very  good  build- 
ing material.  There  is  also  a  belt  of  it,  perhaps  ten  miles  in  width,  bordering  the  en- 
tire coast.  There  are  five  other  kinds  of  pine  in  the  State,  of  less  value  and  in  small 
quantity. 

Next  to  the  yellow  pine  in  abundance  and  value  rank  the  bald  cypress  and  live  oak. 
Both  are  found  throughout  the  State  in  abundance  and  of  large  size.  The  qualities  of 
live  oak  are  well  known,  better  than  those  of  the  cypress,  a  timber  only  second  in  value 
to  yellow  pine,  and  for  durability  and  lightness  superior  to  it.  Several  mills  are  now 
sawing  cypress,  and  the  manufacture  of  it  must  increase. 

The  red  cedar  of  Florida  is  celebrated  as  being  the  only  wood  suitable  for  pencils. 
The  demand  for  it  is  so  great  that  the  supply  will  probably  be  exhausted  before  many 
years. 

Throughout  the  pine  Avoods,  north  of  latitude  27°,  are  scattered  much  post  and  black- 
jack oak,  which  furnish  superior  fuel.  The  other  kinds  of  trees  occur  in  groves  or 
hammocks  and  border  water -courses. 

Along  the  southern  half  of  the  Saint  John's  and  ludian  Rivers  the  palmetto  is  the  most 
abundant  tree,  but,  as  a  rule,  the  hammocks  are  composed  in  most  part  of  the  live 
oak  and  the  water  or  willow  oak,  with  much  red  bay,  magnolia,  and  hickory.  Besides 
these,  there  is  a  great  variety  of  smaller  trees,  with  handsome  evergreen  foliage  and 
wood  suitable  for  A^arious  purposes.  In  some  hammocks  the  sour  and  bitter-sweet 
oranges  abound. 

The  trees  most  noted  for  beauty  of  wood  are  the  "  curly"  variety  of  the  yellow  pine, 
the  red  or  sweet  bay  (sometimes  called  Florida  mahogany),  the  magnolia,  black  cherry, 
holly,  &c. 

In  Jackson  and  Gadsden  Counties  are  found  the  black  walnut,  sour  wood,  bass 
wood,  beech,  birch,  sugar  maple,  cottonwood,  sycamore,  and  many  other  Northeru  trees. 
This  section  is  not  suited  to  the  growth  of  the  orange. 

Trees  common  in  low  hammocks  and  swamps  are  the  white  bay,  tan  bay,  elm,  ash, 
hickory,  red  maple,  sweet  gum,  sour  gum,  poplar,  hackberry,  iron-wood,  &c. 

The  number  of  species  of  the  most  important  genera  are  as  follows :  Oak,  13 ;  pine 
7 ;  hickory,  5 ;  elm,  ash,  maple,  magnolia,  and  gum,  3  each. 

South  of  the  Caloosahatchie  River,  and  on  the  east  and  west  coasts,  as  far  north  as 
Mosquito  Inlet  and  Cedar  Keys,  tlie  trees  are  nearly  all  of  subtropical  species,  among 
which  are  some  of  great  beauty  and  value,  such  as  the  mahogany,  lignum  vitse,  prince- 
wood,  mastic,  wild  tamarind,  calabash,  royal  palm,  Indian  fig,  crab-wood,  &c.  But 
these  are  found  in  too  limited  quantity  to  be  of  any  practical  importance. 

In  additiou  to  these  are  the  Madeira,  frankincense,  white-wood,  cork- 
wood, sea  grape,  green  ebony,  wild  cherry,  buttonwood,  black  and  rock 
mangrove,  and  numerous  others. 

A  Aariety  of  the  caoutchouc  grows  in  South  Florida,  which  furnishes 
a  gum  possessing  the  qualities  of  the  India  rubber  of  commerce. 

It  is  believed  that  the  cinchona,  which  furnishes  that  valuable  article 
quinine,  could  be  successfully  cultivated.  Other  trees  and  plants  of 
great  merit  and  utility  can  doubtless  also  be  introduced. 

An  experimental  garden,,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Department  of 
Agriculture,  would  be  attended  with  signal  benefit  to  the  interests  of 
the  country. 

LAKE  OKEECHOBEE  AND  THE  EVERGLADES. 

But  little  is  known  of  the  vast  region  covered  by  Lake  Okeechobee 
and  the  everglades.     Much  of  that  immense  area  is  unexplored  and  un- 
3290 5 


Q6  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

surveyed,  and  few,  besides  the  wandering  cowboys,  ever  traverse  its 
wild  solitudes.  Its  almost  absolute  inaccessibility  has  practically  shut 
it  out  from  settlement;  and  for  years  it  has  been  occupied  by  the  small 
remnant  of  the  Indian  tribes  that  once  owned  the  conntry,  and  by  vast 
herds  of  cattle,  which  thrive  and  fatten  upon  the  rich  pasturage. 

Very  recently  the  eyes  of  capitalists  have  been  directed  to  this  remote 
wilderness,  and  science  has  demonstrated  that  this  section  can  be  re- 
claimed and  subjected  to  cultivation.  A  carefal  analysis  of  the  soil  re- 
veals the  fact  that  it  contains  a  remarkable  percentage  of  the  elements 
necessary  to  sustain  vegetation,  and  that  the  most  exhausting  crops  can 
be  produced  for  years  without  any  diminution  of  its  natural  fertility. 
These  lands,  when  drained  and  properly  handled,  will  be  found  capable 
of  supplying  a  very  large  portion  of  the  sugar  now  consumed  in  the 
United  States.  They  are  admirably  adapted  to  the  production  of  this 
important  staple,  and  are  fully  equal,  if  not  superior,  to  the  most  valu- 
able lauds  devoted  to  this  crop  in  Cuba  and  Louisiana.  Here  the  cane 
reaches  maturity,  and  regularly  goes  to  tassel,  showing  that  the  stalk 
has  reached  its  highest  point  of  development,  and  that  its  juices  con- 
tain the  largest  amount  possible  of  saccharine  matter.  One  planting  of 
the  seed  suffices  for  several  years,  the  plant  rattooniug  for  a  number  of 
seasons  from  the  old  stubble.  Another  advantage  of  the  utmost  conse- 
quence is  found  in  the  fact  that,  situated  as  this  region  is,  below  the 
frost  line,  the  cane  can  be  cut  and  ground  to  suit  the  convenience  of  the 
planter. 

Mr.  H.  A.  Hough,  who  resides  on  Twelve-Mile  Branch,  an  arm  of  the 
Caloosahatchee  River,  had  his  sugar-mill  destroyed  by  fire  in  January, 
1881,  before  his  cane  had  been  harvested.  The  building  was  re-erected 
in  the  following  April,  when  the  cane  was  cut  and  ground,  making  a 
full  average  yield  of  superior  sugar  and  sirup,  for  which  the  highest 
prices  were  obtained.  It  is  customary  in  that  section  to  replant  cane 
but  once  in  seven  years.  The  planter  is  never  harassed  by  fears  of 
having  his  crop  injured  or  destroyed  by  the  sudden  advent  of  cold 
weather. 

Besides  cane  and  rice,  tobacco,  cotton,  jute,  indigo,  and  the  whole 
series  of  tropical  and  semi-tropical  fyuits  can  be  successfully  and  profit- 
ably cultivated. 

The  soils  and  situation  of  this  region  are  such  that  the  entire  range 
of  vegetables  can  be  put  into  Northern  markets  before  the  truckers 
around  Boston,  Kew  York,  and  Chicago  have  commenced  to  break  their 
ground  for  the  reception  of  seed.  In  this  respect  this  region  has  no 
rivals  in  this  country,  and  can  compete  with  the  Bermudas  and  Bahamas. 
The  increase  of  wealth  and  the  growth  of  luxury  in  the  United  States 
have  created  a  steady  and  growing  demand  for  table  dainties,  and  the 
prices  paid  for  fruits  and  vegetables  out  of  their  usual  season  are  largely 
renumerative.  Tomatoes,  English  pease,  string  beans,  egg-plants,  okra, 
and  other  garden  jiroducts  can  be  shipped  from  this  section  during  the 


AND    AGRICULTUKAL    CAPABILITIES.  67 

entire  winter — from  December  to  April.  In  the  cultivation  of  such 
articles  there  is  a  mine  of  wealth  opened  to  the  enterprising  and  indus- 
trious settler.  But  little  heavy  clothing,  and  scarcely  any  fuel,  except 
for  culinary  purposes,  is  required  in  this  genial  climate,  so  that  there  is 
a  great  saving  in  these  items,  so  costly  in  a  more  rigorous  latitude. 

The  question  of  transportation,  which  has  heretofore  been  a  barrier 
to  the  occupation  of  this  desirable  country,  is  about  to  have  an  early 
and  satisfactory  solution.  By  the  time  this  report  will  be  given  to  the 
jmblic  a  line  of  steamers  will  be  in  operation  upon  the  Kissimmee  River^ 
connecting  Lake  Okeechobee  with  the  new  city  of  Kissimmee,  recently 
laid  out  on  Lake  Tahopekaliga,  in  Orange  County.  Here  a  junction  is 
effected  with  the  South  Florida  Eailroad,  a  line  stretching  from  Sanford, 
on  the  Saint  John^s  River,  to  Tampa  and  Charlotte  Harbor.  Communi- 
cation will  also  be  had  with  the  West  as  soon  as  the  Caloosahatchee 
Eiver  is  open  to  navigation. 

A  company  was  chartered  by  special  act  of  the  legislature  of  Florida, 
March  8,  1881,  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  and  improving  certain 
tracts  of  land  in  Florida,  the  building  of  canals  and  other  lines  of  trans- 
portation, and  the  carrying  on  of  all  other  business  incidental  thereto. 

The  following  information  is  taken  from  a  pamphlet  recently  pub  - 
lished  by  the  above  company: 

This  company  has  a  concession  from  the  board  of  internal  improvement  of  the 
State  of  Florida  for  the  reclamation  of  all  the  lands  lying  south  of  townships  24  and 
east  of  Peace  Creek,  this  area  containing  upAvards  of  8,000,000  acres. 

The  United  States  survey,  made  in  1879  by  Col.  J.  L.  Meigs,  established  the  eleva- 
tion of  Lake  Hickpochee,  adjoining  Lake  Okeechobee,  •  as  being  22  feet  above  mean 
low  tide,  and  he  recommended  the  construction  of  a  drainage  canal  similar  to  that 
now  proposed  to  be  established.  These  surveys  and  observations  have  recently  been 
veriiied  by  a  corps  of  engineers  in  the  employ  of  this  company,  who  found  Lake 
Okeechobee  to  be  25  feet  above  tide  water. 

Lake  Okeechobee,  situate  about  the  center  of  this  8,000,000  acre  tract,  is  upwards 
of  40  miles  in  length  by  20  miles  in  width,  or  covering  an  area  of  over  1,000  square 
miles.  It  has  an  outlet,  but  receives  the  drainage  of  a  number  of  lakes  intercepted  by 
the  Kissimmee  River,  also  the  waters  of  Fish  Eating,  Taylor's,  and  Mosquito  Creeks, 
which  vary  from  20  to  150  feet  in  width.  During  very  heavy  falls  of  rain,  this  lake 
rises  to  such  a  point  as  to  not  only  overflow  its  banks,  but  to  cause  the  waters  of  the 
rivers  to  be  backed  up,  so  that  the  country  becomes  more  or  less  submerged,  until  the 
waters  find  the  ocean  and  gulf  through  the  tortuous  and  inefficient  channels  of  widely- 
separated  streams. 

It  is  proposed  to  provide  against  these  periodical  overflows  by  the  opening  of  canals 
from  Okeechobee  to  the  Saint  Lucie  and  Caloosahatchee  Rivers  that  will  not  only  per- 
manently lower  the  level  of  the  lake,  but  at  all  times  furnish  a  safe  outlet  to  the  gulf 
and  ocean  for  the  waters  of  the  lake  and  confluent  streams,  and  which  will  also  afford 
means  of  transportation  for  the  products  of  the  Kissimmee  Valley  and  surrounding 
country. 

The  reclamation  of  the  land  included  in  that  portion  of  the  peninsula  of  Florida 
south  of  latitude  28^  15'  N,,  and  generally  east  of  Pease  Creek,  embraced  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Monroe  (5,000  square  miles),  Dade  (5,000  square  miles),  Brevard  (4,000  square 
miles),  and  portions  of  Manatee  (5,000  square  miles),  and  Polk  (1,900  square  miles),  is 
a  problem  the  magnitude  of  which  can  be  more  readly  comprehended  when  we  con- 


68  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

sider  that  the  territory  in  question  covers  1,000  square  miles  in  excess  of  the  combined 
area  of  the  States  of  Rhode  Island  (1,300  square  miles),  Connecticut  (4,700  square 
miles).  New  Jersey  (8,300  square  miles),  and  Delaware  (2,120  square  miles).  In  other 
words,  over  17,000  square  miles  of  the  most  tropical  portion  of  the  most  tropical  State 
in  the  Union  are  to-day  ready  to  respond  to  an  intelligent,  systematic,  and  properly 
directed  eifort  towards  placing  them  in  the  category  of  tillable  and  available  acres, 
embracing  no  barren  prairies  nor  mountain  wastes.  There  are  but  few  acres  not  sus- 
ceptible to  a  high  degree  of  cultivation.  Lands  which  in  a  more  northern  climate 
would  be  regarded  as  valueless  will  here  yield  luxuriant  and  remunerative  crops. 
For  example,  the  scrub  palmetto  or  poorest  pine  barrens  of  Southern  Florida  will  pro- 
duce, without  fertilizers,  large  crops  of  Sisal  hemp,  yielding  a  profit  to  the  acre  which 
compares  favorably  with  the  returns  from  the  richest  land  when  cultivated  in  sugar 
tobacco,  or  cotton.  The  same  character  of  land  will  produce  from  50  to  75  bushels  of 
upland  rice  to  the  acre — a  three  months'  crop;  or  at  a  trifling  original  outlay,  15,000 
pineapple  slips,  set  to  the  acre,  will,  from  the  poorest  scrub  land,  yield  a  return  far  in 
excess  of  the  brightest  dream  of  the  Northern  farmer.  Other  valuable  tropical  pro- 
ducts adapted  to  these  lands  could  be  mentioned,  which,  in  a  more  northern  climate, 
would  yield  nothing  to  agriculture.  This  glance  at  the  possibilities  to  be  realized 
from  the  cultivation  of  third-rate  pine  and  stunted  ''Black  Jack"  lands  prepares  us 
somewhat  for  a  better  appreciation  of  the  capabilities  of  the  soil  designated  as  "  rich 
lauds,"  and  named  in  the  following  order :  First,  *'  swamp  lands" ;  second,  "  low  ham- 
mock"; third,  "high  hammock";  and  fourth,  ''first  rate  pine,  oak,  and  hickory 
lands."  It  will  only  be  necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  "swamp" — 
or  lands  subject  to  overflow — are  intrinsically  the  most  valuable  lands  in  Florida.  To 
adapt  them  for  successful  cultivation  a  systematic  plan  for  their  drainage  will  be  in- 
dispensable; when  thus  prepared  their  inexhaustible  fertility  sustains  a  succession  of 
the  most  exhaustive  crops  with  astonishing  vigor.  The  greatest  yield  of  sugar  ever 
realized  in  Florida  (4  hogsheads  per  acre)  was  produced  on  this  description  of  land. 

It  will  be  impossible  to  form  or  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  importance  and  ex- 
tent of  this  enterprise,  developing,  as  a  consequence,  a  new  and  vast  territory  unlim- 
ited in  resources,  and  of  such  material  and  varied  agricultural  wealth  as  can  be 
furnished  by  no  other  State  in  the  Union ;  opening  to  cultivation  a  tract  of  sugar 
lands  the  soil  of  which  is  identical  to  that  of  Cuba  and  Louisiana  of  a  productive 
power  apparently  inexhaustible  and  unequaled  in  area  by  any  country  on  the  globe 
The  prominent  natural  requisites  to  the  growth  and  maturity  of  the  sugar  cane 
under  the  most  favorable  conditions,  obtain  here  in  a  marked  degree. 

A  moderate  proximity  of  these  lands  to  the  sea  and  gulf,  a  dry,  warm  spring,  show- 
ers during  the  afternoons  in  June,  July,  and  August,  followed  by  a  comx)aratively  dry 
autumn,  a  condition  necessary  for  converting  the  starch  into  saccharine  matter,  are 
characteristics  of  the  peninsula  of  Florida  south  of  the  28th  parallel  of  latitude.  The 
importance  of  this  one  crop  as  aff"ecting  the  material  wealth  of  our  country  can  be 
more  readily  comprehended  by  a  bare  comparison  with  the  enormous  output  in  pre- 
cious metals  from  our  western  mines,  those  great  store-houses  of  national  wealth.  The 
import  duties  on  sugar  for  manufacturing  purposes  from  the  year  1847  to  1879  varied 
from  2f  to  4  cents  per  pound.  We  paid  out  for  sugar  and  allied  products  during 
this  period  $1,800,000,000.  Our  western  mines  produced  ^1,700,000,000,  or,  in  other 
words,  during  a  period  of  thirty-two  years  as  a  nation  we  paid  out  in  round  numbers 
$100,000,000  in  excess  of  the  total  output  in  bullion  of  our  famed  bonanzas  of  the  west 
for  an  article  of  consumption  every  pound  of  which  could  have  been  produced  from 
the  soil  of  Southern  Florida.  \ 

The  choice  sugar  lands  of  Louisiana  are  rated  at  from  $100  to  $150  per  acre,  similar 
in  character  to  those  just  described,  which  mature  the  cane  to  perfection,  and  are 
located  below  the  frost  line. 

The  terms  of  the  contract  with  the  board  of  internal  improvement  of  the  State  of 
Florida  give  to  this  company  one-half  of  all  the  land  reclaimed  by  the  lowering  of 
the  waters  of  Lake  Okeechobee. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  6? 

The  peculiar  characteristics  of  the  coraline  foundation  upon  which  the  peninsula  of 
Florida  has,  by  a  gradual  and  cumulative  process,  been  raised  to  its  present  level 
above  the  waters  of  the  ocean  ;  the  configuration  of  its  surface  and  that  other  marked 
geographical  feature  as  indicated  by  the  enormous  extent  of  her  coast  line,  exceeding 
1,100  miles  on  the  Gulf  and  Atlantic,  indented  by  numerous  large  bays  and  estuaries; 
the  uniform  width  of  the  lower  portion  of  the  peninsula  and  comparative  short  dis- 
tance separating  the  waters  of  the  Gulf  and  Atlantic;  taken  in  connection  with  the 
successive  slight  ridges  or  table  lands,  generally  parallel  with  the  coast  line,  compre- 
hending within  their  borders  long  reaches  of  savanna,  prairie,  and  marsh,  and  increas- 
ing in  altitude  as  we  proceed  towards  the  interior  or  water-shed  of  the  Kissimmee 
River,  w  hose  flows  empties  into  that  grand  island  reservoir.  Lake  Okeechobee — we 
have  before  us  the  necessary  data  upon  which  to  develop  the  plan  for  the  solution  of 
the  ])roblem  of  successfully  draining  and  reclaiming  this  vast  territory  of  notably  rich 
lands. 

An  analysis  of  the  soil  taken  from  the  saw-grass  marsh  on  the  border 
of  Lake  Okeechobee,  by  the  distinguished  Dr.  Eogers,  professor  of  chem 
istry  in  Universitj^  of  Pennsylvania,  gives  the  following  results  : 

Organic  matter  (vegetable  mold) 5.5.  00 

Silica 2L80 

Carbonate  of  lime 21.  50 

Iron,  a  trace 0.  00 

Water,  not  volatilized  at  212° 1.70 


100.  00 


As  the  operations  now  in  progress  promise  to  add  an  immense  area, 
comprehending  no  less  than  18,000  square  miles  of  the  very  richest  and 
most  productive  lands  to  the  agricultural  resources  of  the  country,  all 
matters  connected  with  this  vast  enterprise  contain  information  of  the 
greatest  importance. 

Col.  Ingham  Coryell,  general  superintendent  of  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf 
Coast  Canal  and  Okeechobee  Land  Company,  furnishes  the  following 
information  relative  to  the  plans  and  points  of  operation  for  the  i>ro- 
posed  drainage  of  Okeechobee : 

We  have  been  at  work  for  the  past  two  months,  under  the  supervision  and  direc- 
tion of  Capt.  F.  A.  Hendry,  in  cutting  a  channel  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Caloosa- 
hatchee  to  Lake  Hickpochee,  and  have  succeeded  in  opening  one  20  feet  wide,  and 
now  having  a  depth  of  3  feet.  His  report  is  that  it  is  daily  deepening,  and  so  soon  as 
the  waters  lower  in  Okeechobee,  what  is  now  a  marsh  overflow  will  be  concentrated 
from  Hickpochee  in  the  channel  as  now  made.  It  will  cut  very  fast,  and  thereby  en- 
able the  dredge-boat,  nearly  finished,  at  Cedar  Key,  on  its  arrival  on  the  Caloosa- 
hatchee,  to  be  forced  up  and  over  the  IC-foot  elevation  into  Hickpochee.  When  there 
we  are  3  miles  from  Okeechobee,  with  only  2^  feet  elevation  to  overcome  to  get  into 
that  lake,  which  is  entirely  practicable.  By  taking  the  dredge  by  a  circuitous  route, 
throwing  our  excavation  in  our  rear  as  we  proceed,  we  dam  up  our  passage  en  route, 
as  far  as  soft  mud  and  vegetable  growth  will  obstruct  the  passage  of  water. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  open  a  flood  on  the  valley  of  the  Caloosahatchee,  and  we 
will  use  every  means  to  prevent  it.  Our  objective  point  of  operations  will  be  on  the 
southeast  end  of  Lake  Okeechobee,  where  our  first  cuttings  will  commence.  We  are 
now  building  a  second  dredge  on  Lake  Tohopokaliga,  which  is  the  head  of  the  Kis- 
simmee River,  in  Orange  County,  at  the  newly  laid-out  city  of  Kissimmee,  and  a 
short  cut  of  2  miles  at  the  southwest  corner  of  that  lake  into  Reedy  Creek  will  aftord 


70  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

us  plenty  of  water;  thence  into  the  Kissimmee  River  down  to  Okeechobee,  where  we 
hope  to  join  the  Cedar  Key  dredge,  and  carry  both  to  the  southeast  sic'e  of  Okeecho- 
bee.    The  Cedar  Key  dredge  has  a  cutting  capacity  of  22  feet  wide  and  10  feet  depth. 

The  Tohopokaliga  dredge  will  have  a  cutting  capacity  of  25  feet  and  over,  and  10 
^eet  depth.  Both  dredges  have  stern  wheels  and  are  self-propelliug.  At  the  south- 
east side  of  Okeechobee  there  is  an  open  slough  from  4  to  6  miles  in  length,  and  evi- 
dently at  one  time  an  open  river,  heading  in  the  lake  and  emptying  into  the  Atlantic 
at  Miami,  New  Hillsborough,  or  some  other  river  now  carrying  the  surplus  waters  of 
the  Everglades,  reaching  their  head,  into  the  ocean. 

Further  investigation  may  cause  us  to  utilize  this  open  slough  as  one  of  the  points 
to  commence  our  cutting,  which  will  first  be  by  a  cut  4  feet  deep  and  the  width  of  the 
full  capacity  of  our  dredge.  The  other  dredge  will  commence  near  by,  and  will  con- 
verge to  a  point,  say  4  miles  from  thei  lake,  where^they  will  meet,  and  to  which  point 
other  cuts  will  be  made  if  found  necessary,  concentrating  the  water  and  flows,  and  the 
force  thus  concentrated  will  possibly  cut  its  own  channel  from  that  point  southeast  to 
the  ocean.  It  will  at  least  go  somewhere  on  the  down  grade,  and  be  gotten  rid  of  in 
a  direction  where  no  damage  will  be  done  to  any  one.  As  to  the  extent  of  the  open- 
ings to  be  made,  I  don't  think  it  is  within  the  power  of  engineering  science  to  deter- 
mine by  a  survey  and  calculation.  We  can  calculate  the  surface  level  of  Okeechobee 
to  the  depth  of  one  foot  to  contain  31,363,200,000  cubic  feet  of  water,  and  the  lowering 
of  the  lake  one  foot  reduces  its  contents  fully  one-fifth  of  its  entire  capacity  and  from 
its  shallowness  will  expose  or  reclaim  possibly  over  one  mile  of  its  entire  border;  hence 
the  cubic  feet  of  water  by  the  next  reduction  of  one  foot  will  be  very  materially  less- 
ened, and  so  on  by  every  foot  of  reduction.  A  reduction  of  one  foot  solves  the  prob- 
lem. We  have  measured  the  inflow  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kissimmee,  when  the  waters 
were  within  its  natural  banks,  but  during  a  flood,  its  spread  is  for  miles  east  and  west 
over  a  saw-grass  marsh,  and  impracticable  to  measure  with  any  certainty  for  several 
reasons,  the  principal  of  w^hich  is  the  irregularity  of  the  flow  at  points  through  the  saw 
grass,  where  greater  or  less  obstructions  exist.  For  this  reason,  no  actual  calcula- 
tion can  be  made  of  what  cuts  in  area  are  required,  but  we  are  reduced  to  and  forced 
to  accept  the  general  positive  requirement  of  making  "the  outflow  greater  than  the 
inflow  to  prevent  overflow."  The  reduction  of  the  lake  one,  two,  or  three  feet  will 
form  a  reservoir  that  will  prevent  an  overflow  during  an  unusual  rainfall,  even  if  the 
outflow  should  not  be  fully  equal  to  an  unusual  rainfall  and  inflow,  and  will  prevent 
an  overflow. 

One  important  and  encouraging  point  in  success  of  the  enterprise  is  the  fact  that 
we  meet  with  no  rock,  hard  pan,  or  clay  obstruction,  and  the  cutting  through  the  mud 
formation  by  the  force  of  water  concentrated  must  be  very  great,  and  it  is  reasonable 
to  suppose  will  cut  and  deepen  its  own  channel.  Tests  by  the  sounding  rod  have  been 
made  from  the  Caloosahatchee  up  to  and  through  Hickpochee,  and  thence  to  Okee- 
chobee, and  on  the  Atlantic  side  from  Lake  Worth,  for  a  distance  sufficient  to  know 
that  no  rock  or  hard  pan  exist  to  a  depth  that  will  reach  the  bottom  level  of  Okee- 
chobee. Of  this  there  can  be  no  question.  You  ask  will  the  lowering  of  Okeechobee 
effect  the  whole  of  the  drainage  desired  ?  By  no  means  ;  the  work  is  then  only  begun. 
The  straightening  of  the  channel  of  the  Kissimmee  must  follow,  and  a  series  of  drain- 
age operations  at  other  points,  which  space  will,not  allow  me  to  illustrate. 

THE   INDIAN  RIVER  AND  LAKE  WORTH  REGION. 

This  interesting  and  attractive  portion  of  the  State  is  now  engaging 
a  large  share  of  public  attention,  in  consequence  of  tlie  certainty  that  it 
will  shortly  be  blessed  with  the  advantages  of  cheap  and  rapid  facilities 
for  transportation.  The  eastern  shore  of  this  river  is  washed  by  that 
remarkable  ocean  current,  the  Gulf  Stream,  giving  it  at  all  seasons  a 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  71 

uDiform  temperatiiio,  and  very  eflectually  protecting  it  against  sudden 
falls  of  the  thermometer.  The  orange  grown  in  this  region  attains  a 
l^erfection  of  richness  and  delicacy  of  flavor  not  found  elsewhere,  and 
brings  the  highest  prices.  Here  seems  to  be  the  natural  home  of  the 
l)ine-apple  and  cocoanut,  and  these  fruits  thrive  and  flourish  in  tropical 
luxuriance.  Its  waters  abound  in  all  the  varieties  of  fish  known  in 
these  latitudes,  and  also  in  the  finest  oysters,  and  that  prized  product 
of  the  sea,  the  green  turtle.  Here  will  be  established  almost  certainly 
extensive  fisheries  and  canneries  for  the  preparation  of  these  delicacies 
for  distant  markets,  and  such  industries  promise,  in  the  near  future,  to 
attain  large  ])roportious. 

To  the  devotee  of  the  gun  and  fishing-rod  this  country  opens  a  new 
and  fertile  field  of  operations.  Game  is  found  in  the  utmost  profusion, 
and  in  the  winter  especially,  when  the  migratory  birds  seek  a  milder 
climate,  the  abundance  of  fowls  along  the  course  of  this  river  is  won- 
derful. Bears,  deer,  wild  turkeys,  and  ducks  of  all  varieties  abound, 
and  birds  of  rare  and  beautiful  plumage  invite  the  attention  of  the  taxi- 
dermist. When  this  section  is  opened,  and  suitable  accommodations 
are  provided,  it  is  destined  to  become  a  favorite  resort  for  sportsmen. 

The  same  company  that  proposes  to  drain  Lake  Okeechobee  and  the 
everglades  has  also  contracted  with  the  State  board  of  internal  im- 
provements to  connect  the  waters  of  the  Saint  John's  and  Indian  Elvers 
by  a  system  of  canals.  The  proper  surveys  have  demonstrated  the  fea- 
sibility of  the  proposed  plan,  and  it  is  expected  that  the  work  will  be 
commenced  at  no  very  distant  period.  When  completed,  this  enterprise 
will  open  330  miles  of  safe  inland  navigation,  extending  from  Lake 
Worth  on  the  south  to  the  mouth  of  the  Saint  John's  Eiver  on  the 
north,  at  a  point  somewhere  in  the  vicinity  of  Jacksonville. 

From  the  pamphlet  already  quoted  1  take  the  following  paragraphs ; 
This  company  has  acquired  by  purchase  the  franchise  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  Steam- 
boat, Canal,  and  Improvement  Company  for  the  construction  of  a  canal,  suitable  for 
commodious  light-draft  steamboats,  commencing  at  the  Saint  John's  River,  extend- 
ing thence  in  a  southerly  direction,  connecting  Pablo  Creek,  San  Diego,  Mantanzas, 
Halifax,  and  Hillsborough  Rivers,  Mosquito  Lagoon,  Indian  River,  Saint  Lucie  Sound, 
Jupiter  River,  and  Lake  Worth,  thus  affording  nearly  330  miles  of  continuous  navi- 
gable inland  waters,  lying  adjacent  to  and  generally  parallel  with  the  east  coast  of 
Florida,  being  separated  from  the  ocean  by  peninsulas  and  extended  narrow  islands; 
these  natural  barriers  guaranteeing  a  safe  and  continuous  navigation  throughout  the 
entire  year.  The  water  is  salt,  being  constantly  renewed  from  the  inlets  at  Saint 
Augustine,  Mantanzas,  Mosquito  Lagoon,  Indian  River,  and  Lake  Worth.  These  in- 
land waters  aflFording  at  present  an  almost  unbroken  line  of  communication,  may,  at 
a  reasonably  moderate  expenditure  in  systematic  construction,  presenting  no  embar- 
rassing engineering  problems,  be  developed  into  a  grand  canal  possessing  features  pecu- 
liarly its  own.  Merely  where  the  artificial  work  of  joining  river  to  river  is  performed 
can  it  be  regarded  as  a  canal  proper,  as  from  these  points  it  develops  into  those  ma- 
jestic arms  of  the  sea,  from  30  to  120  miles  in  length,  varying  from  1  to  6  miles  in 
width,  bordered  on  either  side  by  a  country  generally  well  elevated,  enjoying  unbounded 
natural  agricultural  resources,  a  semi-tropical  luxuriance  in  beauty  of  foliage,  scenery 
of  an  exceedingly  variegated  and  picturesque  character,  and  blessed  with  a  climate 


72  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

throughout  the  entire  year  the  most  equahle  and  salubrious  enjoyed  hy  any  State  iu 
the  Union.  The  soil  is  generally  sandy,  with  an  admixture  of  disintegrated  coral  and 
ghell  with  alluvial  and  organic  matter,  capable  of  supporting  successive  crops  with- 
out the  aid  of  manure. 

Large  bodies  of  high  and  low  hammock  lands  of  palmetto,  oak,  bay,  hickory,  &c., 
extend  along  the  shores,  adjacent  to  which,  on  the  west  shore,  are  tracts  of  high 
open  pine  lands,  bordered  by  prairie,  savanna,  and  marsh.  Experience  demonstrates 
that  the  soil  is'not  aft'ected  by  drought  in  the  same  degree  as  other  lands,  nor  does  it 
sutler  from  too  much  rain,  and,  being  exceedingly  friable,  requires  no  other  prepara- 
tion than  grubbing  and  plowing  to  adapt  it  at  once  for  the  production  of  crops  cov- 
ering the  widest  scope,  embracing  tropical  and  semi-tropical  fruits  and  fibrous  plants 
in  great  variety,  and  maturing  to  that  degree  of  perfection  developed  at  no  other 
point  within  the  bounds  of  the  United  States. 

The  topographical  features  of  the  country  will  permit  of  a  general  alignment  for 
the  canal  on  the  most  direct  route  connecting  the  several  rivers  and  navigable  streams 
above  alluded  to.  The  method  of  performing  the  major  part  of  the  excavation  will 
be  by  labor-saving  appliances  especially  designed  for  this  work,  combining  great 
efficiency  with  ease  of  manipulation  and  economy  in  power. 

It  will  be  impossible  to  form  or  convey  an  adequate  idea  of  the  importance  and 
extent  of  this  enterprise,  developing,  as  a  consequence,  a  new  and  vast  territory, 
unlimited  in  resources,  and  of  such  material  and  varied  agricultural  wealth  as  can  be 
furnished  by  no  other  State  in  the  Union  ;  opening  to  cultivation  a  tract  of  sugar 
lands,  the  soil  of  which  is  identical  to  that  of  Cuba  and  Louisiana,  of  a  productive 
power  apparently  inexhaustible  and  unequaled  in  area  by  any  country  on  the  globe. 
The  prominent  natural  requisites  to.  the  growth  and  maturity  of  the  sugar  cane  under 
the  most  favorable  conditions  obtain  here  in  a  marked  degree. 

In  view  of  the  natural  advantages  generall}^  cited,  experience  and  statistics  guar- 
antee that  continued  health  may  be  anticipated  with  as  much  confidence  as  in  any 
other  section  of  the  country  ;  lands,  cheap  and  readily  accessible,  easy  of  tillage,  from 
the  fact  that,  owing  to  the  friable  character  of  the  soil,  cultivation  is  neither  laborious 
nor  expensive ;  the  harvesting  of  crops  covering  the  widest  scope,  embracing  nearly 
all  of  the  grains,  fruits,  and  vegetables  of  the  Northern,  Middle,  and  Southern  States  ; 
besides  tropical  and  semi-tropical  fruits  and  fibrous  plants  in  great  variety,  and  ma- 
turing to  that  degree  of  perfection  developed  at  no  other  point  within  the  bounds  of 
the  United  States,  or  indeed  anywhere  north  of  Central  America — it  is  fair  to  assume 
that  immediately  subsequent  to  its  completion  the  unoccupied  lands  bordering  the 
canal  will  be  entered  upon  by  those  experienced  in  agriculture ;  caT)italists,  mer- 
chants, speculators,  and  all  of  the  elements  that  enter  into  the  thrift  and  prosperity 
of  a  new  country  will  settle  among  its  borders,  forming  the  nucleus  of  future  thriv- 
ing villages,  communities,  and  cities,  constituting  the  pioneers  of  that  great  and  in- 
evitable people  destined  to  populate  and  harvest  from  the  rich  prairie,  savanna,  and 
upland  of  the  interior  bountiful  and  staple  crops,  for  the  production  of  which  nature 
for  past  cycles  has  been  preparing  the  soil  by  the  enriching  process  of  growth  and 
decay  of  a  luxuriant  vegetation. 

As  the  cultivation  of  sugar  will  probably  be  the  largest  and  most  im- 
portant industry  of  this  region,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  insert  a  valuable 
article  upon  that  subject  from  the  pen  of  the  well-known  Dr.  0.  J.  Ken- 
worthy,  of  Jacksonville,  from  whose  writings  copious  extracts  have  been 
previously  taken : 

The  list  of  Florida  productions  is  a  long  one,  embracing  nearly  all  the  cereals,  fruits, 
and  vegetables  of  the  Middle,  Northern,  and  Southern  States,  as  well  as  the  fruits, 
vegetables,  and  medicinal  and  fibrous  plants  of  semi-tropical  and  tropical  countries. 
Since  the  settlement  of  the  State  the  inhabitants  have  confined  themselves  to  the  cul- 


AND    AGRICULTUEAL    CAPABILITIES. 


73 


ture  of  two  or  three  crops,  and  old  customs  cling  to  the  majority  as  do  barnacles  to  the 
hull  of  a  stranded  vessel  in  a  tropical  sea. 

Under  English  rule  sngar  cane  proved  a  profitable  crop,  and  for  many  years  anterior 
to  1861  it  was  extensively  and  profitably  grown  by  Hon.  D.  L.  Yulee  and  others.  For 
the  successful  culture  of  sugar  cane  a  comparatively  dry  and  warm  spring,  a  high 
thermal  range,  coui)led  with  frequent  torrential  showers,  preceded  and  followed  by 
sunshine  during  the  summer,  and  a  dry  and  warm  fall  and  winter,  are  essential.  These 
climatic  conditions  exist  to  an  eminent  degree  in  Southern  Florida,  as  established  by 
observations  taken  at  I'ort  Myers,  on  the  Caloosahatchee  Eiver,  and  at  Fort  Dallas, 
Cape  Florida. 

MEAN  TEMPERATURE. 


'^    . 

0  « 

a 

. 

Stations. 

be 

a 

s 

^ 

i® 

•c 

2 

>< 

^^ 

p. 

^ 

< 

^ 

4  0 
4  6 

750.4 
740.7 

820.4 
810.5 

770.0 

760.3 

650:3 

660.6 

750.0 

Eort  Dallas                                                    

740.7 

Rainfall  is  an  important  factor  in  the  growth  and  maturation  of  the  cane;  and  the 
necessary  hyetal  conditions  exist  in  the  southern  portion  of  this  State. 

RAINFALL  IN  INCHES  AND  HUNDREDTHS. 


StAtioDS. 


Fort  Myers 

Fort  Peace,  Ind.  T . 


u 

0 

f. 

be 

a 

0; 

S 

3 

1 

k 

c 
cc 

p 
< 

^ 

1 

4 

11.07 

31.61 

11.09 

8.33 

62.91 

3 

n.i3 

26.25 

16.84 

8.76 

62.98 

With  a  high  thermal  range  and  ample  rainfall  during  the  summer  months,  the  cane 
attains  a  development  rarely  excelled  in  the  West  Indies.  In  the  southern  j)ortion  of 
the  State  it  ratoons  and  tassels,  and  attains  saccharine  maturity.  Even  in  the  northern 
portion  of  the  State  it  reaches  a  more  perfect  growth  and  development  than  in  a  large 
portion  of  Louisiana.  We  have  seen  it  stated  that  from  ten  to  fifteen  ripened  joints 
to  a  cane  is  deemed  a  good  yield,  and  this  can  be  excelled  on  the  high  sandy  lauds  of 
the  northern  portion  of  the  State.  It  is  admitted  that  Cuba  is  the  home  of  the  cane, 
and  that  climatic  conditions  are  the  elements  of  its  success.  For  th^  x^^^rpose  of  com- 
parison we  will  give  the  mean  temperature  and  rainfall  at  Havana : 


* 

1 

be 

1 

B 

a 

< 

.1 

i 

8 
5 

750.7 
7.5 

84°.  2 
14.23 

750.5 
11.48 

680.4 
6.54 

750.9 

Rainfall 

39.76 

■ 

From  the  data  quoted,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  rainfall  at  Havana  is  less  than  one- 
half  as  great  as  that  at  Fort  Myers,  and  as  a  result  the  cane  attains  a  greater  develop, 
meut  of  stalk  and  amount  of  saccharine  matter  in  Southern  Florida  than  in  Cuba. 
Even  the  mean  annual  temperature  of  Havana  is  but  nine-tenths  of  a  degree  above 
that  of  Fort  Myers.  But  the  great  advantage  Southern  Florida  possesses  over  the 
West  Indies  is  the  excessive  rainfall  during  the  summer— frequent    orrential  showers 


74 


FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 


followed  by  bright  suushiue,  witli  a  high  mean  temperature,  causiug  a  luxuriant 
growth  of  cane  that  surprises  the  resident  of  the  tropics. 

With  a  duty  of  upwards  of  three  cents  per  pound  on  imported  sugar  it  is  surprising 
that  the  culture  of  cane  in  Florida  has  been  so  long  neglected,  more  esiiecially  when 
we  take  into  consideration  the  fact  that  the  people  of  the  United  States  have  paid  more 
for  sugar  and  its  allied  products  since  1849  than  the  value  of  the  precious  metals  pro- 
duced by  the  mines  of  the  Western  States  and  Territories  duriug  the  same  period. 

Sugar-cane  is  extensively  cultivated  in  Louisiana,  but  the  climatic  conditions  are 
not  as  favorable  as  those  of  Florida.  For  the  perfect  maturation  of  the  cane  it  is  ad- 
mitted that  an  annual  mean  temperature  of  75°  F.  is  necessary.  As  a  rule,  in  the  former 
State  the  summer  rains  are  insufficient  for  vigorous  growth  except  in  the  lowlands; 
the  occurrence  of  cold  rains  during  the  autumn,  early  frosts,  and  a  low  thermal  range 
in  the  autumn  seriously  interfere  with  the  vito-chemical  action  necessary  to  change 
the  starch  into  sugar.  Taking  New  Orleans  as  a  point  of  comparison,  we  find  the  tem- 
perature and  rainfall  to  be : 


a 

2 

to 

a 
"E 

a 

.9 

i 

tH 

^ 

5 

< 

^ 

^ 

39 
39 

68°.  9 
1L8 

80°.  9 
15.9 

690.3 
11.2 

55°.  7 
12.3 

680.7 

Rainfall                                       .            

50.7 

In  Southern  Florida  the  cane  need  not  be  ground  until  after  Christmas,  but  to  escape 
early  frosts  in  Louisiana  they  are  compelled  to  crush  it  before  it  is  matured.  In  a  New 
Orleans  paper  of  recent  date  we  find  the  following:  ''Many  plantations  are  grind- 
ing, but  the  cane  is  somewhat  too  green  yet.  Estimates  based  on  reports  from  a  large 
number  of  plantations  promise  a  yield  of  about  136,000  hogsheads,  a  falling  off  of  four- 
tenths  as  compared  with  last  year."  Even  with  this  diminished  yield  the  State  will 
receive  over  $15,000,000  for  its  sugar  crop,  and  these  and  many  more  millions  should 
be  made  to  enrich  Florida. 

In  Louisiana  it  is  necessary  to  cultivate  the  cane  on  the  low  alluvial  soils,  but  owing 
to  the  rainfall  in  this  State  during  the  summer  the  cane  will  yield  large  crops  on  high 
and  even  sandy  lands.     In  his  work  on  Florida,  published  in  1823,  Vignoles  remarked  • 

''Respecting  sugar,  the  recent  successful  trials  that  have  been  made  upon  it  have 
determined  the  cnrious  fact  that  it  will  grow  in  almost  any  of  the  soils  of  Florida  south 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Saint  John's  River.  The  great  length  of  summer,  or  period  of  ab- 
solute elevation  of  the  thermometer  above  the  freezing  point,  allows  the  cane  to  ripen 
much  higher  than  in  Louisiana." 

From  the  best  information  we  have  been  able  to  obtain,  the  cane  produced  in  Duval 
County  on  elevated  lands  is  larger,  longer,  and  more  perfectly  ripened  than  the  pro- 
duct of  Louisiana.  We  have  examined  cane  grown  on  the  Indian  River  which  had 
from  forty-six  to  fifty-four  ripened  joints.  In  the  beginning  of  this  year  Professor 
MacCauly,  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  visited  the  Indian  camp  in  the  Big  Cypress, 
60  miles  east  of  Fort  Myers.  On  his  return  he  informed  me  that  the  Indians  were  en- 
gaged making  sugar,  and  that  the  ripened  cane-stalks  would  measure  from  18  to  22 
feet  in  length. 

Vignoles  says :  "Perhaps  it  may  be  thought  that  Florida  presents  but  little  to  tempt 
the  large  sugar  planter;  granted,  but  it  is  undoubted,  if  the  culture  of  the  cane  should 
be  adopted  on  a  small  scale,  by  the  same  proportionate  number  of  cultivators  that  are 
in  the  habit  of  raising  cotton  in  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  Alabama,  their  labor  would 
be  amply  repaid  and  a  source  of  wealth  opened  ;  particularly  should  some  public-spirited 
and  enterprising  individual  establish,  at  central  and  eligible  points,  sugar-mills  to  re- 
ceive the  small  crops,  precisely  on  the  same  principle  that  cotton-gins  and  rice-mills 
exist  in  Southern  States.  This  would  augment  the  population  and  increase  the  re- 
sources of  the  country  sooner  and  better  perhaps  than  any  other  n^iode." 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  75 

If  the  establishment  of  sngar-Diills  at  central  and  accessible  points  was  desirable  in 
1823,  it  is  more  so  in  1881.  For  years  I  have  advocated  the  erection  of  a  large  sugar 
mill  and  refinery  in  Jacksonville,  where  cane  can  be  supplied  by  small  growers  and 
converted  into  sugar  and  molasses.  Land  and  labor  are  cheap,  taxes  are  low  in  the 
country,  firewood  at  the  saw-mills  is  costless,  and  instead  of  consuming  sugar  grown 
in  Louisiana  and  Cuba  we  should  produce  enough  for  home  consumption  and  a  half 
million  hogsheads  for  exportation.  With  a  suitable  climate  and  soil,  coupled  with 
cheap  labor  and  an  opportunity  to  obtain  a  supply  of  cane  on  reasonable  terms,  it 
seems  farcical  that  Floridians  should  consume  sugar  produced  within  one  hundred 
miles  of  the  State ;  pay  the  freight  from  Cuba  to  New  York,  an  import  duty  at  the 
rate  of  on  No.  13  to  16  sugar,  3  fg^  cents,  and  on  No.  16  to  20,  4  -/g-  cents  per  pound  ; 
the  cost  of  refining  in  a  Northern  city,  where  labor  is  high,  and  where  firewood  and 
coal  are  expensive,  coupled  with  freights,  commissionvS,  profits,  &c.  There  may  not 
be  "  millions  in  it,"  but  there  is  a  profitable  investment  for  some  person  who  will  erect 
a  sugar  mill  and  refinery  in  Jacksonville.  If  a  market  could  be  found  for  cane,  its 
production  would  be  insured,  and  thousands  of  persons  would  engage  in  its  cultiva- 
tion ;  the  young  orange  grower,  small  farmer,  and  the  owners  of  small  patches  and 
town  lots  would  plant  it,  and  an  ample  supply  for  a  mill  and  refinery  could  be  secured. 
This  city  is  connected  by  river  or  railroad  communication  with  every  portion  of  the 
State,  and  with'  low  freights  the  cane  could  be  shipped  from  distant  points.  Or,  to 
avoid  the  cost  of  transportation  of  cane,  producers  at  a  distance  could  press  the  cane, 
barrel  the  juice,  add  the  milk  of  lime,  and  ship  it  to  its  destination.  The  superan- 
nuated third-class  machinery  at  present  used  in  the  State  consigns  nearly  one-half  of 
the  juice  of  the  cane  to  the  bagasse  heap ;  hence  an  annual  monetary  loss.  The  cen- 
tral factory  system,  with  perfect  machinery,  would  materially  increase  the  yield  of 
sugar  from  the  cane  produced.  From  the  best  information  before  me  I  have  reason 
to  believe  that  a  central  mill  could  aftbrd  to  pay  the  producer  $4  per  ton  for  the  cane, 
and  he  would  find  it  a  more  profitable  crop  than  cotton.  A  central  factory  means  a 
divorce  of  the  agricultural  part  of  the  sugar  production  from  the  manufacturing,  mer- 
cantile, and  financial  part,  and  that  it  would  prove  a  profitable  investment  Ave  are  as- 
sured. In  1858  the  growers  in  Louisiana  produced  1,124,592  hogsheads  of  sugar,  worth 
$120,000,000;  and  if  this  can  be  done  in  the  unsuitable  climate  of  Louisiana,  the  ques- 
tion arises,  what  can  be  done  in  Florida  with  her  soil  and  climatic  advantages  ?  We 
might  furnish  many  facts  and  figures  relating  to  this  industry,  but  space  says,  hold, 
enough. 

ORANGE   CULTURE. 

This  is  one  of  the  industries  of  Florida  that  has  suddenly  attained 
very  considerable  proportions.  From  barely  nothing,  in  a  commercial 
sense,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  the  business  has  grown  to  be  worth 
$1,000,000  in  1880.  Measured  by  the  progress  of  the  past,  it  is  destined 
to  become,  in  a  very  short  time,  one  of  the  leading  industries  of  the 
State.  Last  year  there  were  exported  at  least  45,000,000  of  oranges. 
The  business  so  far  has  been  very  successful,  and  is  daily  inviting  more 
capital  and  enterprise.  There  is  already  $10,000,000  iovested  in  orange 
groves  in  the  State,  with  a  field  open  for  the  profitable  emj)loyment  of 
$50,000,000  more.  Lands  suitable  for  growing  oranges  are  in  abun- 
dance and  at  low  prices.  Orange  groves  can  be  found  in  almost  every 
part  of  the  State,  and  on  all  varieties  of  soil  well  drained,  the  groves 
numbering  each  from  10  to  10,000  trees.  Hardly  a  family  outside  of 
the  cities  but  cultivates  a  greater  or  less  number  of  orange  trees,  and 
many  residing  in  the  cities  do  the  same.     Some  of  the  largest  groves  in 


76  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

the  state  are  owned  by  persons  living  in  tbe  towns,  or  bj^  non-residents. 
In  some  of  tbe  counties  there  were  raised  as  high  as  from  4,000,000  to 
6,'100,000  of  oranges  last  year  j  and  narrow-gauge  railroads  are  rapidly 
being  built  to  aiford  the  middle  counties  facilities  for  shipping  their  enor- 
mous crops  to  market.  Tliree  such  roads  have  been  completed  Avithin 
tlie  past  few  months,  and  others  are  projected,  while  more  are  under  con- 
templation. Oranges  are  shipped  from  off  these  roads  to  New  York  in 
eighty  and  ninety  hours'  time. 

Within  the  past  few  years  orange  culture  in  Florida  has  also  attained 
great  perfection.  It  has  reached  that  position  where  it  is  possible  to 
analyze  the  cost  of  production.  Abundant  evidence  exists  that  can  be 
brought  forward  to  show  the  value  and  profit  in  it  for  the  investment 
of  capital.  Eesults  have  shown  that  there  is  not  at  present  any  pur- 
suit, where  the  tilling  of  the  soil  is  involved,  that  will  yield  larger  re- 
turns with  less  fluctuation.  It  is  always  pleasant  to  be  able  to  confirm 
such  statements  with  facts.  An  extensive  orange  grower  in  Putnam 
County  has  kept,  from  the  beginning  of  his  grove,  an  accurate  account 
of  the  expenditures  and  receipts  to  the  close  of  the  thirteenth  year,  end- 
ing 1879.  The  number  of  trees  vvere  300.  They  yielded  442,600  oranges, 
selling  for  $7,590,  as  against  an  expenditure,  omitting  cost  of  land,  first 
cost  of  trees,  and  interest  on  the  money,  of  $1,950.  This  gives  receipts 
over  expenditures,  $5,640.  This  is  only  one  instance,  but  it  is  as  good 
as  many,  because  it  is  only  one  in  a  very  large  number.  It  conclusively 
demonstrates  that  orange  culture  is  not  at  all  transitory.  Nearly  all 
the  obstacles  in  the  path  of  orange  culture  have  been  removed. 

The  future  of  the  business  is  still  more  promising.  Florida  oranges 
are  conceded  to  be  superior  to  all  others.  In  point  of  numbers,  com- 
pared to  the  great  quantities  consumed,  they  are  few;  yet  by  their 
greater  merit  they  have  come  to  occupy  the  foremost  place  in  the  market. 
The  genial  climate  and  peculiar  soil  of  Florida,  together  with  sufficiently 
warm  sun  to  mature  and  concentrate  the  juices  without  destroying  the 
lively  aromatic  flavor  of  the  fruit,  impart  this  quality — a  value  nowhere 
else  attainable  to  such  an  extent.  The  field  they  are  yet  to  occupy  is 
practically  illimitable.  They  are  yet  to  possess  our  own  market,  the 
best  in  the  world.  This  will  be  the  labor  of  years,  and  after  a  great  por- 
tion of  our  orange  lands  have  been  brought  under  cultivation.  In  1879, 
there  were  257,000,000  of  oranges  entered  at  the  port  of  New  York  alone 
from  foreign  countries.  Double  the  number,  at  least,  were  entered  at 
all  the  other  ports,  making  a  grand  total  of  771,000,1)00  consumed  in  and 
lost  on  the  voyage  to  this  country,  in  addition  to  our  Florida  crop.  We 
cannot  predict  when  the  domestic  will  take  the  place  of  the  foreign 
l^roduct,  but  it  is  inevitable  in  course  of  time.  Our  inability  to  supply 
the  demand  is  the  main  obstacle. 

That  this  will  be  the  ultimate  result  is  clear  from  another  cause,  inde- 
pendent, or  nearly  so,  of  merit.  The  liability  of  loss  and  damage  result- 
ing from  uncertainties  of  a  sea  voyage  forms  an  important  factor  in  the 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  77 

conduct  of  the  foreign  fruit-trade,  serving  to  make  it  extremely  hazard- 
ous— a  circumstance  against  which  dealers  do  not  have  to  contend  in 
the  shipment  of  Florida  oranges.  We  have  railroads  leading  to  all  the 
great  markets  in  America,  and  when  the  fruit  is  transported  by  water, 
all  the  facilities  are  afforded  by  perfect  and  commodious  steamships. 

Orange  culture,  therefore,  may  go  on  indefinitely  in  Florida,  without 
fear  of  reaching  a  general  redundance  of  product.  When  Our  own  market 
is  occupied  those  of  Europe  and  elsewhere  will  be  open  to  us.  The  grow- 
ing desire  everywhere,  also,  of  jjeople  for  semi-tropical  fruits,  which  the 
efforts  of  producers  are  trying  to  satisfy,  is  unlimited,  and,  therefore, 
efforts  in  orange  culture  can  continue  to  be  put  forth  until  this  unlim- 
ited and  independent  desire  is  met — a  goal  which,  perhaps,  never  can 
be  reached. 

To  persons  of  foresight  and  capital,  who  are  looking  to  the  future 
rather  than  the  present  for  remunerative  returns,  Florida  presents,  in 
her  orange  pursuit,  the  most  extended  as  well  as  the  most  inviting 
field.  But  aside  from  the  question  of  profit  the  culture  of  oranges  pre- 
sents other  practical  advantages.  It  is  not  only  a  pleasing  but  an  in- 
dependent occupation.  Its  pursuit  is  no  dead  level  of  monotonous  ex- 
ertion, but  one  that  affords  scope  for  the  development  of  gm  ingenious 
mind.  As  a  producer,  the  orange  grower  is  working  under  conditions 
of  constantly  increasing  advantages.  Young  men,  sometimes  with 
little  or  no  capital,  are  starting  every  year  in  the  business,  often  away 
from  communities  of  old  and  experienced  growers,  and  have  succeeded 
by  dint  of  tact  and  industry.  In  point  of  regular  profits  j  in  point  of  an 
industrious,  frugal,  and  cheerful  occupation ;  in  point  of  a  very  general 
desire  to  become  independent;  in  point  of  success  and  freedom  from 
penury,  and  in  point  of  repressive  and  adA^erse  influences  in  other  pur- 
suits, they  have  found  orange  culture,  and  its  practical  workings,  the 
most  pleasing  of  occupations.  Persons  who  own  groves  in  Florida  are 
entirely  well  satisfied,  as  a  rule,  with  their  investments.  A  bearing 
grove  is  worth  a  gFeat  deal  of  money,  and  to  purchase  one  would  require 
a  large  cash  outlay.  In  ten  years'  time  groves  are  usually  in  full  bear- 
ing— often  in  less  time — and  the  inducement  to  plant  one  is  very  giieat. 

Finally,  we  would  say,  that  the  motives  that  induce  men  to  labor  in 
Florida  are  the  same  as  in  other  States — for  profit;  and  if  the  energy 
and  persistence  of  the  work  be  proportionate  to  the  constancy  and  press 
of  the  motives,  then  will  they  most  certainly  succeed,  and  make  the 
aggregate  profit  of  their  investment  equal,  if  it  does  not  exceed,  that  of 
nearly  all  other  pursuits  involving  no  greater  outlay  of  money.  More- 
over, the  occupation  of  orange-growing  has  a  tendency  to  make  one 
hopeful  for  the  future.  The  tilling,  too,  of  the  soil  immeasurably  im- 
proves the  character  of  the  cultivator.  Add  to  this  the  beauty  of  the 
country  and  climate,  and  the  attractions  of  country  life ;  the  tranquillit;y^ 
of  mind  w^hich  they  promise,  and  the  enjoyments  which  they  really 
afford;  the  charm  of  proprietorship  and  self-guiding  exertion,  and  the 


78  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

buoyancy  of  outdoor  employment,  and  we  bave  all  tbe  essentials  for 
acquiring  bealtb  and  bappiness,  as  well  as  independence. 

WHAT   THE   POOR   IMMIGRANT   MAY  DO. 

In  previous  pages  we  briefly  made  some  remarks  as  to  new-comers. 
We  believe  tbat  a  idain  relation  of  wbat  may  be  reasonably  assured  to 
tbe  poor  as  well  as  ricb  immigrant  will  be  received  as  useful  informa- 
tion. Florida  is  no  exception  to  other  countries,  and  the  present  but 
repeats  the  past  in  the  various  phases  of  immigration.  The  early  col- 
onists and  colonies  in  America,  the  periodical  and  frequent  later  immi- 
gration to  new  States  and  Territories,  and  from  old  to  new  localities,  all 
have  had  experiences,  good,  bad,  and  indifferent,  yet  we  find,  after  a 
brief  period,  that  the  new  countries  are  filled  up  with  a  prosperous  and 
contented  population.  It  is  not  necessary  to  review  the  varied  causes 
of  this  universal  experience j  although  the  local  historian  may  dwell 
upon  them,  the  new  generations  of  the  present  look  forward  and  not 
back.  The  characteristics  of  Florida,  general  and  special,  we  have  truth- 
fully noted;  other  things  being  equal,  the  climate,  soil,  health,  cheai)- 
ness  of  lands,  staple  and  special  productions,  easy  access  and  egress  by 
land  and  water,  form  of  government,  low  taxes,  a  small  State  debt,  all 
present  superior  advantages,  especially  for  the  poor,  or  those  in  mod- 
erate circumstances,  for  securing  a  good  home.  At  the  outset,  how- 
ever, the  immigranj^  asks,  how  shall  I  at  once  procure  a  support  for  my- 
self and  family?  Now,  premising  that  the  new-comer  means  to  work — 
intends  to  stay — ^lie  can  go  to  work  at  once  and  raise  food  from  the  soil. 
New  pine  lands,  broken  up  with  the  grass  turned  in,  will  grow  good  crops 
of  sweet  potatoes  and  cow  pease,  with  but  slight  cultivation.  These  crops 
in,  fields  inclosed,  the  grass  covered  soon  becomes  rotted,  and  the  soil 
easil^^  worked.  Corn,  cane,  and  cotton  may  now  be  planted,  as  also  vege- 
tables; in  the  same  field  and  with  the  crops,  orange,  lemon,  and  other 
fruit  trees  may  be  planted,  where  they  are  to  remain,  at  regular  dis- 
tances apart,  both  ways.  The  vineyard  may  also  be  put  out,  as  well  as 
smaller  fruit,  about  the  premises.  The  pea- vines,  with  pease,  will  afford 
forage  for  stock ;  pease  and  potatoes  for  food.  Succeeding  the  pease  and 
potatoes,  turnips  and  onions,  beets,  cabbage,  and  similar  semi-hardy 
vegetables  may  be  grown  from  the  late  summer  to  the  next  late  spring 
months,  nearly  the  year  round.  The  immigrant  can  easily  gather  about 
him  hogs,  which  will  range  for  their  own  living,  potatoes  being  fed  to 
them  in  the  fall.  Poultry  are  no  care  for  feed  or  support ;  game  and  fish 
are  to  be  had  for  the  seeking.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  food  question  is 
easily  solved.  Year  by  year  his  crops  are  increasing,  his  comforts  added 
to;  he  has  within  himself  the  accessories  of  a  comfortable  home.  In 
the  meantime  his  grove  of  oranges,  lemons,  his  vines,  are  growing  apace ; 
in  a  few  short  years  he  scents  in  the  early  s])ring  the  sweet  odor  of  the 
orange  bloom,  sees  the  green  friiit  gradually  increasing  in  size,  and,  as 
autumn  months  come  on,  gladdens  his  eyes  »vith  the  sight  of  the  golden 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  79 

fruit  which  now  will  yield  him  a  substantial  return — waited  for  and  won. 
It  has  taken  less  than  half  a  score  of  years  for  the  piney-woods  pioneer 
to  make  a  new  home  which  yields  him  ample  support  and  sure  increas- 
ing income  for  the  future. 

WHAT    THE   RICH   IMMIGRANT   CAN   DO. 

To  the  man  of  capital,  Florida  offers  a  large  variety  of  specialties  to 
employ  it  surely  and  profitably,  whether  as  an  investment  looking  to 
the  future  for  increase,  or  present  employment  and  quick  returns. 
There  are  millions  of  acres  of  United  States,  State,  and  railroad  lands, 
Spanish  grants  of  large  areas,  and  private  improved  and  unimproved 
lands,  which  can  now  be  bought  cheaply.  These  comprise  timber  lands, 
which  are  increasing  in  growth  and  value  every  year,  also  improved 
lands  already  cleared  and  ready  to  cultivate,  now  unoccupied  hj  reason 
of  death  of  owners,  or  want  of  means  to  hire  labor  and  jjurchase  stock. 
A  few  thousand  dollars  judiciously  invested  in  lands  would  be  sure  to 
pay  a  profit.  Manufactories  of  cotton,  and  cotton-seed  oil  mills,  starch 
factories,  rice  mills,  paper  mills,  tanneries,  saw  mills,  furniture  shops, 
&c.,  offer  good  opi)ortunities  for  present  jjrofit. 

There  are  many  good  openings  for  mercantile  business,  purchasing 
the  staples  of  the  country,  such  as  cotton,  sugar,  sirup,  naval  stores. 
Fruit  raising  on  a  large  scale  can  be  done  with  assured  profit  j  with 
means,  one  can  have  hundreds  of  acres  in  trees,  and  millions  of  oranges 
and  lemons  to  sell  or  ship.  The  shrewd  real  estate  dealer  can  buy  and 
sell  at  a  profit;  the  money-lender  loan  at  high  interest,  with  ample  se- 
curity. All  this  has  been  done,  is  done,  and  doing  now.  If  the  capital- 
ist would  desire  to  farm  on  a  large  scale,  no  better  field  than  here. 
There  are  hundreds  of  large  plantations  in  Middle  Florida,  lying  con- 
tiguous, which  can  be  bought  low,  and  a  farm  of  100  to  10,000  acres 
can  be  made,  and  planted  in  cotton,  cane,  corn,  rice,  tobacco,  and  other 
crops.  Labor  is  plenty  and  cheap,  crops  sure  and  good,  always  in  de- 
mand, and  fair  prices  rule. 

HOMESTE  m  AND  OTHER  EXEMPTIONS. 

One  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  or  one-half  acre  of  land  within  city  or 
town,  owned  by  the  head  of  a  family  residing  in  the  State,  together 
with  $1,000  of  personal  property,  and  the  improvements  on  the  real 
estate, 'Shall  be  exempted  from  any  forced  sale  under  any  process  of  law ; 
and  real  estate  shall  not  be  alienable  without  the  joint  written  consent 
of  wife  and  husband.  In  addition  to  the  above  exemption,  there  shall 
be  exempted  from  sale  by  any  legal  process,  to  the  head  of  a  famil}', 
one  thousand  dollars  in  any  kind  of  property  which  said  head  of  fam- 
ily may  select,  in  cases  where  the  indebtedness  was  contracted  or  judg- 
ment obtained  before  the  10th  day  of  May,  1805.  Taxes  can  only  be 
levied  for  State,  county,  and  municipal  purposes.  Married  women  are 
protected  by  law  in  the  ownership  and  control  of  p  roperty  separate  and 
apart  from  the  husband. 


80 


FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 


WHO   MAY   VOTE. 

Every  male  person  twenty-one  years  of  age,  who  shall  be,  or  shall 
have  declared  his  intention  to  become,  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
has  resided  in  the  State  one  year,  and  in  the  county  six  months,  may 
vote  in  the  election  district  where  registered.  Bribery,  perjury,  larceny, 
wagers  on  election,  fighting  a  duel  or  accepting  a  challenge,  disfranchises. 

Table  showing  the  mortality  and  population  of  the  State  of  Florida  for  the  year  ending  June 
1,  1880,  as  returned  to  the  Census  Bureau  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  also  the  deaths  from 
consumption  and  other  pulmonary  diseases  for  the  same  period. 


Alachua 

Baker  

Bradford 

Brevard 

Calhoun 

Clay 

Columbia 

Dade.-..-. 

Duval 

Escambia 

Fiauklin 

Gadsden 

Hamilton 

Heniando 

Hillsborough 

Holmes 

Jackson  

Jefferson 

La  Fayette  . . 

Leon 

Levy 

Liberty 

Madison 

Manatee 

Marion 

Monroe 

Nassau 

Orange . . 

Polk 

Putnam 
Santa  Rosa. .. 

'Niiniter 

Saint  John's.. 

jsuwaunee 

Taylor 

Volusia ...... 

Wakulla 

AValtuu 

"Washington  . 


Counties. 


Total 2,514 


12 
19 
46 
91 
3 

234 

107 
15 

191 

81 

0 

40 

28 

182 

153 
11 

282 
78 
15 

134 
0 

88 
62 
67 
35 
28 
53 
19 
37 
58 
91 
45 
31 
11 
31 
31 


§ 

11 
as 

ft 


9-^  i      § 

^-5  1  -I 

sis  '  -=  . 

^  cs  o  «  i  e  CO 

<^  s  «'5  1  is 

4)   C   ®   Pi  o 


18,  597 
2.312 
6,167 
1,486 
1,375 
2,755 
9,594 
195 

17,  762 

12,217 
1,741 

11,  588 
6,486 
4,254 
5,888 
2,  774 

14,  487 

16, 126 
2,600 

20,  325 
5,776 
1,237 

15,118 
3,674 

13,  000 

10,  9-z7 
6,546 
6,190 
3,156 
6,250 
6,701 
6,072 
4,595 
7,379 
2,280 
3,407 
2,  750 
4,  270 
3,238 


141  I  271,664 


Total  deaths  in  1,000  of  all  ages 9 

Total  deaths  from  consumption  in  1,000  of  all  ages •- 6. 10 

Total  deaths  from  other  pulmonary  diseases  in  1,000 5. 10 

*  A  large  proportion  of  the  deaths  from  consumption  are  cases  of  invalids  from  other  States  and 
countries. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES. 


81 


Table  showing  the  population  of  Florida  by  race,  as  returned  to  the  Census  Bureau  at  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  Junes,  1880. 


Total 


271,  864 


Population  in  1870 187,748 


Increase  in  ten  years 84, 116 

3290 6 


82 


FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PKODUCTIONS, 


1. 

ii   - 

PI    © 


S  ® 


I 
if 


•iCouoH 


•Pios 
eonpojd     nepaB^ 


If;,  O  O  O  "»  O  O  O  S  O 

Q0oo»050t~oc;ri 

©OO-^OC-^CO'VT}-'— 

fo"  =r  (M*  -^'"  cs"  «r  I?  f  o"  (m'  ci" 


re  x  s  o  lo 

O  lit  O  «  C4 

in  'i  5^1  o  70 


•eaoi^'B^oj 


:  M  t- 1*  M  M  ic  t-     oc  ( 


■  •^rc©:c©r —    ~~ 

I  oc  ro  . 


rfsSr-,© 
(g  i>t>©" 


•BSBBBIOK 


.©N© 

ec»-  •*  © 
~  S^  M  t- 


©"Mt> 


imr.  Si^ns 


oc  ro  t-  u-  c  m  ■ 


e^j  ^  1-  t-'M  cj5ep9=os^i-H^T-;©xt- 


UO©i-i  ©  50  Cl 


'  t-^  CO  W  r-(  fj  M 


ir:  ©    ■  ©  o 


©©»Ci©^©©<0 

cc  «o  ©  ©  ?1  ©  X  OS 
«C  «C  l^  ©  «  W  I-  CO 

co"  co"  ■^"  to"  OS  iri"  ift"  i>" 


00©^-^ 
oc-rc:  fH 

ro'— "c'co 


«0©OSC!©OS©l«Cr 
t^©O"Oii-i.~f0l0 

ro  e-f  ©"rt  ■<iri>rco"^"os' 


go   ^ 

*  s 

Cm 

O 


•uowoo 


iSi 


•B^BO 


•oioo 


©  t-© 


123 

lOt- 


c^t-©in  ©I 


w    •  —  mooo©©?!-* 

©      i^MCOSCSCC^I© 
»     .  t^COX  ©  to  ©l:-l> 


—  M©fO»ftt-«-OS 


(0  ©CO  : 
X'<t  Ift  ■ 

C5  JC  t-  ^ 


S^"! 


to" 


I  m  o  ©  o 


©m©  ©  © 

.  ©  CO  ©T-<  t^ 
tc  ■<»  IC  ©  ©  O 

•90!H  i    ;3t^-©-©rr- 

►^  ©  M  CO  ?^  rQ 


•8UIJ4.B  aaqum^ 


•9|!^!^«3  aeqranji 


e^  -^  w  ■T  OS  "*  t- 

r-T  •^■"  ©"  rf  N -"J""  os" 


©  M  fO  X  N  "H  N 

M  CO  rt  ro  ©  ift  «D 
■<*"  Tj.  ift  CO  i~  to  t- 

00"|>-<*C9"«ONOO 


•B9]nni  puB 
safijoqjo  jaqtunx 


'saop^onpoid  nuB  j 


•:^oo:^8  9AI1 


•89n{BA  nuB^ 


•p9[n»  p««i 


CO  ©  ©  ©  Cfl  o  »ft 

CO  in  ^  -T  t^  S^J  "M 

-r  to  ©  oo  OS  cc  00 


cs  CO  ©  to  ift  CO  t~ 


©to  ©  ©  ©  ©  ! 
©  ^  ©  ©  O  Tl  : 

•^  m  ©  ©  ©  ri  ■ 


©  OS  ©  ^  to  t-  © 

©  CO  00  l>  OS  <M  ca 

■<*>  to  M  c^  in  OS  CO 
■»*^  ©os"t^®*c»s"io" 

C^  CO  CO  ?' f-l  iH '^^ 


•*x-H-H©ososcoc« 


X  OS  05  OS  CO  ; 

rsrooNt^o  —  ?J©x--'5'00co?iin©©,-ico-^oo^Ni 
r"?:oo«-^csff<j©cica'^©^co'vto-*i:^in^— <to©ooj 

co-^-H-^o-*'i>eoc4"t^c4"to'j>^ifrccot-riot>  wi>«aeo«rto" 


C5©tOT*'t^COtO©t~©(M©5O00©Tt"(MC<l© 

-i©x---«j'Ooco?iin©©,-ico-^oo^Nin 
>ci  care  <-        -      —  - 


1  tOfl  M  ©  ©  < 

coo-fcfco' 


iTt<©co©M-«j<©i>xtON 
'OstOi-ifcoxTttoroino* 
OS  -v  rj  >^  CO  CO  to  in  M  •^  ©. 


lomrot-t-ot^  ^un  i«to--( 
i-ieO'-"©roin.-H  rri~©osm< 
ioaiXcoto®iM      ©cocoto-*^ 


»-i  r-i  Cfl 


to  t^  OS  in  t-  in  OS 
X  ixo  t~  CO  t-  m  c<i 


.-H  t^in  ©  toi 


oo©©©osin©w©ocin©os©ooft 
»-wc5-it-os©oo©os«'i©in©to->*> 
»M"Oct-:c»inrqx©©t~s<jcoin 


'*'»CO©C0O5in— l>-(MO5C0©©tO'^tOtO 

■<f©Min©Tinoct^05M"*osoo-<tcooos<» 
ost>      toi— (      toi-irj  i-< 


©»t^cotoin5<i©©M©ri©©©©in©- 

•<*t~m'*inr-ir-(©©rH©XCO©©X00© 

oc(M!0'-toco©©©©to-^co©©coosm 


Ir-i  I^IOS 


inin©'*in©in©©©©:o©co©©cs©©©©t:~©©-^ 
■<t?.im.-co©©  —  ©i>cot-tct-in©©©ce— .©05©os<M 
.    .    . . •  ©  ©  ©  X  •*  ©  m  ©  .-(  © 


l>t~-t-inco©CH^'^©©cor5i:^' 


I  in  t>-*- 
•  ■*co© 


I  to  to  OS  X  ^ ! 
ICQ      osro.-H. 


rH  CO       fffl 


©CO  •t.-*©t-©to©c^t>eooo©©'*tori;o©ooos©e« 
©to  ■C5iMi^)'*Tj<©coooTj<n©'^toc5©©©tOi-iinoO'H 
coai      cs©t>'<»-©'<J<osi-©inooo5cot~©'--.  —  r^t~©ooT*i 


X  rt  <M  s^i  © 


\5 


:'«  d 


^■o 


..So    '  *  s  J  a ^  S    .       q 

lililJIilliiliUfcifiiiii 


AND   AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES. 


83 


S  :S 


o  es  lO  o  lo  o 


II 


3^S 


'ift  M  C0O5  © 

I  C5  irt  00  m  t- 


»  t~  M  ■^  00  iC 


■«»■  ^0OT^o  o 

O  -H  CO  ?■)  iH  u-l 


M  CS  00  M  C)  CO 


«0  to  CO  Ci  t>.  < 
M  CO  W00^< 
OOrtfO         ■*  ! 


§   :  a 

«-    Hi 


I  oc  lO  OS  00  >S 


t^  lO  •»!"  M  i-i  00 

»n  50  OS  o  »ft  00 


O!  r-l  Tj.  rH  OS  ( 


0-«f  00  OS- 
CO  c:  X  S<1  • 
C^  t^  50  CO  I 


cj  00  CO  OS  OS  » 


.   .   •  a     ^ 


j«  o  oo  i-^ ^^ 
"^  i"-"©  si  «  cS 


84  FLORIDA  :    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,  PRODUCTIONS, 

HARBOR   AND   CITY   OF   PENSACOLA. 

The  Gulf  of  Mexico  is  the  natural  basin  for  a  larger  extent  of  coun- 
try than  any  similar  sheet  of  water  on  the  globe,  and  the  finest  bay 
and  harbor  on  its  coast  is  that  of  Pensacola,  on  which  are  located 
Forts  Pickens  and  Barrancas  and  the  Warrenton  navy-yard. 

The  city  of  Pensacola,  located  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  is  a  most  beau- 
tiful place,  and  deserves  special  mention  as  the  most  attractive  feature 
of  West  Florida.  The  following  description  is  derived  from  an  official 
publication  of  the  Commissioner  of  Immigration  : 

The  city  of  Pensacola  has  natural  advantages  which  destine  it  to  become,  by  rapid 
strides,  the  Chicago  of  the  South.  It  is  situated  on  the  north  coast  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  in  latitude  30°  28'  north  and  longitude  87°  2*2'  west  of  Greenwich,  only  10 
miles  from  the  open  sea.  Its  thoroughly  laud-locked  harbor  covers  an  area  of  over 
200  square  miles,  being  about  30  miles  long  and  from  5  to  8  miles  in  width,  having 
unsurpassed  anchorage,  and  a  depth  of  from  30  to  35  feet.  The  entrance  to  the  harbor 
is  about  half  a  mile  wide,  with  an  average  depth  on  the  bar  of  twenty-four  feet.  The 
same  depth  is  readily  secured  at  the  wharfage  line  in  the  city.  A  laden  ship  of  the 
largest  tonnage  can  approach  the  city  at  any  time  in  the  year,  or  leaving  its  wharf 
€an  be  in  the  open  sea  in  an  hour  and  a  half. 

As  a  place  of  residence,  Pensacola  is  attractive  by  a  healthy  and  genial  climate.  It 
has  an  abundance  of  excellent  pure  water,  and  the  regularly  changing  land  and  sea 
breezes  make  it  a  pleasant  abode  at  all  seasons.  Its  gardens  afford  flowers  and  fruit 
winter  and  summer.  Most  tropical  plants  grow  there,  and  require  but  little  protec- 
tion from  the  cold  in  winter,  whilst  all  kinds  of  cereals  and  northern  fruit  yield  early 
and  abundant  crops.  The  soil  of  the  immediate  vicinity  is  sandy  and  the  drainage 
perfect. 

The  lands  of  the  neighboring  country  are  of  the  character  known  as  swamp,  ham- 
mock, and  pine.  The  swamp  lands  are  those  lying  on  the  Escambia  and  Perdido 
Rivers  and  their  tributaries,  and  are  remarkable  for  their  exhaustless  fertility,  those 
brought  under  cultivation  yielding  heavy  crops  of  corn,  cotton,  rice,  and  sugar-cane. 
The  great  body  of  these  lands  is  covered  with  oak  and  cypress  forests,  ready  to  the 
hand  of  the  great  ship-building  interests,  which  the  progress  of  commerce  will  speed- 
ily foster. 

The  hammock  lands  are  intermediate  between  the  swamp  and  pine  tracts.  They 
afford  the  healthiest  localities  for  settlements,  and  are  easily  cultivated,  yielding 
abundant  returns  for  the  labor  bestowed  on  them. 

The  pine  lands  have  an  exhaustless  wealth  of  the  best  timber,  wliilst  the  herbage 
of  the  forest  affords  j)ermaneut  pasturage  for  cattle,  which  require  no  shelter  and  very 
little  care. 

All  these  classes  of  lands  are  readily  reclaimed  for  agricultural  purposes,  whilst  the 
forest  will  for  a  century  to  come  supply  the  growing  export  trade  in  timber. 

The  commerce  of  Pensacola  has  hitherto  been  limited  to  the  export  of  Florida  tim- 
ber brought  down  on  the  rivers  and  creeks  emptying  into  its fuagnificent  bay.  Want  of 
communication  has  been  an  impediment  to  its  growth,  but  the  completion,  in  the  winter 
of  1870,  of  the  Pensacola  and  Louisville  Railroad  to  its  junction  with  the  Mobile  and 
Montgomery  Railroad,  establishing  a  connecting  link  icith  the  entire  railroad  system  North 
and  West,  must  speedily  lift  Pensacola  to  the  dignity  of  a  first-class  commercial  city. 
By  this  link  in  the  great  chain  of  railroads,  Pensacola  is  brought  as  near  to  Chicago 
as  is  New  York. 

The  best  customers  and  consumers  of  the  great  grain  and  produce  growing  West  live 
upon  the  shores  of  the  Gulf,  in  the  West  India  Islands,  in  Central  and  South  America. 
The  Pensacola  route  of  transportation  shortens  the  exchange  of  commodities  between 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  85 

these  markets  and  the  teeming  West  hy  thousands  of  miles  and  by  many  days,  thus 
effecting  a  double  economy  of  time  and  cost  of  transportation. 

A  glance  at  the  map  ^\ill  readily  demonstrate  the  fact,  so  little  known  heretofore, 
that  the  distance  from  Chicago  to  Pensacola  is  only  about  900  miles.  It  will  also  show 
that  from  Pensacola  the  distance  to  Tampico  is  900  miles;  to  Havana,  6*20  miles  ;  to 
Matamoras,  800  miles  ;  to  Vera  Cruz,  950  miles ;  to  Hansacula,  950  miles.  The  last- 
named  place  is  the  eastern  port  of  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec. 

No  vessel  has  ever  been  driven  ashore  in  any  storm  in  the  harbor  of  Pensacola,  and 
no  gale  has  produced  a  freshet.  The  rivers  emptying  into  the  bay  are  clear  and  free 
from  alluvial  deposit,  and  the  depth  of  water  on  the  anchorage  ground,  as  well  as  on 
the  bar,  remains  unaltered  since  the  earliest  Spanish  surveys. 

With  the  railway  connection  recently  established  and  daily  expanding,  this  mag- 
nificent port  becomes  the  most  suitable  outlet  f  r  the  commerce  of  the  entire  Missis- 
sippi Valley.  It  has  this  great  advantage  over  New  Orleans,  that  it  is  close  to  the 
Gulf,  and  not  obstructed  in  its  commerce  by  a  shifting  and  treacherous  bar,  causing 
costly  delays  to  shipping,  and  often  upsetting  the  fairest  calculation  for  commercial 
profits.  The  vast  expenditure  in  towage  up  and  down  the  river  to  which  the  New 
Orleans  shipj^ing  is  subjected  in  reaching  and  leaving  that  inland  port  is  saved  in  Pen- 
sacola, and  it  is  easy  demonstrable  that  shippers  in  New  Orleans  can  ship  their  car- 
goes more  cheaply  from  the  port  of  Pensacola  than  from  their  own  levee.  Still  greater 
will  be  this  economy  when  the  canals  now  proposed  and  under  survey  shall  connect 
the  Mississippi  with  Mobile  Bay,  Perdido  Bay,  and  Pensacola  Bay,  permitting  steamers 
to  bring  their  upland  cargoes  directly  to  Pensacola,  and  lay  them  alongside  the  sea- 
going vessels. 

The  splendid  water-front  of  the  city  admits  of  running  railway  freight  directly 
down  on  the  wharves,  and  to  load  vessels  immediately  from  the  cars.  The  elevated 
bluffs  on  this  water-front  affords  facilities  for  coal  depots,  from  which  vessels  can  be 
supplied  through  shutes,  thus  saving  greatly  in  expense  of  handling. 

Having  thus  briefly  alluded  to  the  physical  features  of  the  port,  we  will  now  ex- 
amine the  advantages  of  its  relative  position  to  other  ports. 

Taking  Chicago  as  the  initial  or  starting  point,  as  being  equally  distant  from  New 
York  and  Pensacola,  railroad  trains  destined  to  each  of  the  cities  would  arrive  at  their 
destination  within  the  same  time.  The  one  arriving  at  New  York  would  have  traveled 
over  900  miles,  and  would  then  be  as  far  north  as  when  it  started  from  Chicago, 
whereas  the  one  arriving  at  Pensacola  would  have  gone  directly  south  900  miles,  thus 
saving  that  number  of  miles  between  the  initial  point  (Chicago)  and  any  other  point 
south  of  Pensacola.  This  distance,  to  be  balanced  by  transit  to  and  from  New  York, 
is  equal  to  a  gain  of  six  days  in  favor  of  Pensacola. 

Take  now  the  return  cargoes,  one*via  New  York  and  the  other  via  Pensacola,  say  cof- 
fee, &c.,  from  Havana,  distant  from  Pensacola  620  miles.  The  one  by  way  of  Pensa- 
cola would  have  reached  its  ultimate  destination,  and  have  been  distributed,  before 
the  other  could  possibly  have  reached  New  York.  These  remarks  apply  with  equal 
force  to  all  the  cities  and  towns  lying  along  and  in  connection  with  this  great  national 
artery  of  intercommunication,  trade,  and  commerce. 

The  Pensacola  and  Louisville  Railroad  line  and  its  connections,  unlike  those  lead- 
ing to  the  Atlantic  ports,  bisect  the  parallels  of  latitude  of  the  United  States ;  hence  it 
must  collect  and  transmit  the  productions  of  these  different  latitudes,  consisting  of 
wheat,  flour,  corn,  pork,  bacon,  lard,  cheese,  bagging,  rope,  iron,  lime,  coal,  and  a  great 
variety  of  industrial  products,  such  as  furniture,  clothing,  machinery,  implements,  &c., 
concentrating  them  all  by  one  line  at  one  single  point  of  shipment,  and  giving  that 
point  the  same  advantages  to  be  offered  to  the  shipping  interests  of  the  world  that 
are  now  afforded  at  the  said  Atlantic  ports  through  a  hundred  different  channels  at  a 
vastly  increased  expense,  both  in  time  and  money,  and  enabling  ships  desiring  freights 
to  any  part  of  the  world  to  make  such  selections  as  their  interests  or  exigencies  may 
require. 


8(5 

The  commerce  of  the  world  will  hereafter  be  carried  ou  through  the  agency  of  steam, 
and  will  exi)aud  in  the  use  of  that  agent  just  in  the  ratio  in  which  fuel  (coal)  can  be 
easily  and  cheaply  obtained  for  that  purpose.  The  coal-beds  of  Alabama,  estimated 
to  cover  between  4,000  and  5,000  square  miles  of  area,  are  intersected  by  this  line  of 
road,  and,  from  their  contiguity  to  Pensacola,  must  become  the  great  source  of  supply 
for  the  steam  marine  and  coaling  stations  of  all  points  south  of  Pensacola.  The  coal 
now  used  for  this  purpose  is  principally  brought  from  Great  Britain,  adistaiice  of  3,000 
miles.  From  the  Alabama  coal-beds  to  Havana  (which  can  be  thus  supplied)  the  dis- 
tance is  about  810  miles,  and  coal  from  these  mines  can  be  placed  on  shipboard  at  Pen- 
sacola at  $4.75  per  ton  ;  the  sea  transportation  is  but  620  miles.  These  facts  and  figures 
l^uarantee  that  the  day  is  not  far  distant  when  Pensacola  must  become  the  great  coal 
depot  of  the  Gulf,  making  annual  shipment  of  millions  of  tons  of  this  article,  devel- 
oping the  resources  and  wealth  of  the  country,  and  expanding  into  one  of  the  first 
cities  in  the  world. 

The  rapid  development  of  the  iron  mines  of  Alabama,  whose  natural  outlet  to  the 
markets  of  the  world  is  the  port  of  Pensacola,  will  not  only  contribute  a  cousiderable 
quota  to  the  commerce  of  this  port,  but  will,  in  connection  with  the  Florida  forests, 
furnish  superior  material  for  ship-building,  which  at  no  distant  day  must  rival  in 
extent  the  similar  industry  of  Northern  ports,  the  proximity  and  cheapness  of  all  ma- 
terial required,  giving  builders  in  this  locality  peculiar  advantages. 

FACILITIES  FOR  TEANSPORTATION. 

No  State  in  the  Uniou  has  so  extended  a  sea-coast  as  Florida,  and 
none  contains  a  larger  extent  of  inland  navigable  water ;  nor  is  there 
any  State  which  enjoys  greater  facilities  for  permanent,  reliable,  and 
cheap  communication  with  the  commercial  marts  of  the  world  and  the 
interior  cities  of  the  North  and  West.  Ocean  steamers,  with  the  most 
ample  accommodations  for  passengers  and  the  most  extended  appoint- 
ments for  freight,  ply  regularly  between  New  York,  Boston,  Philadel- 
phia, Baltimore,  Charleston,  and  Savannah,  and  the  Florida  Atlantic 
ports.  At  Fernandina  these  lines  connect  with  the  Gulf  and  West  India 
Transit  Eailway,  which^  at  Hart's  Koad,  connects  with  the  Jacksonville 
and  Fernandina  Eailway ;  at  Callahan  intersects  the  Savannah  and 
Jacksonville  Eailway ;  at  Baldwin  with  the  Florida  Central  Eailway ;  at 
W^aldo  connects  with  the  J*eninsular  Eailw^ay  to  Ocala,  and  with  the 
Santa  F6  Canal  to  Santa  Fe  Lake;  at  Gainesville  with  the  Florida 
Southern  Eailway  to  Palatka  and  Ocala ;  and  at  Cedar  Keys  with  lines 
of  steamers  to  Tampa,  Key  AVest,  Havana,  New  Orleans,  and  all  the 
Gulf  ports. 

At  Jacksonville  connections  are  made  with  the  numerous  steamers  on 
the  Saint  John's  and  Oclawaha  Eivers,  which  connect  at  Tocoi  with  the 
-Saint  John's  Eailw^ay  to  Saint  Augustine;  at  Palatka  with  the  Florida 
Southern  Eailway  to  Gainesville  and  Ocala;  at  Astor  with  the  Saint 
-John's  and  Lake  Eustis  Eailway;  at  Sanford  with  the  South  Florida 
Eailway  to  Lake  Apopka  and  the  Kissimmee  Eiver ;  at  Salt  Lake  with 
the  Saint  John's  and  Indian  Elver  Tramway  to  Titusville ;  and  at  Lake 
Pi  insett  with  lines  of  stages  to  the  Indian  Eiver  at  Eock  Ledge. 

At  Jacksonville  connections  are  also  made  with  the  Fernandina  and 
Jacksonville  Eailway ;  with  the  Savannah  and  Florida  Eailway,  which 


AND    AGRICULTTRAL    CAPABILITIES.  87 

intersects  the  Gulf  and  West  India  Transit  Railway  at  Callahan  ;  with 
the  Florida  Central  Railway,  which  intersects  the  Gulf  and  West  India 
Transit  at  Baldwin  ;  connects  at  Lake  City  with  the  Jacksonville,  Pen- 
sacola  and  Mobile  Railway,  which,  at  Ellaville,  intersects  the  Suwannee 
River,  which  is  navigable  for  steamers  to  Cedar  Keys  ;  at  Live  Oak  con- 
nects with  the  Savannah,  Florida  and  Western  Railway ;  at  Tallahassee 
with  the  Railway  at  the  Gulf  at  Saint  Mark's  ;  and  at  Chattahoochee 
with  the  Atlantic  and  Western  Railway,  now  in  process  of  construction 
to  Mobile,  and  with  lines  of  steamers  to  Aj>alachicola,  Eufaula,  Ala., 
and  Columbus,  Ga.  All  rail  routes,  with  close  connections  and  through 
parlor  and  sleeping  cars  for  passengers  and  fast  freight  lines,  with  ven- 
tilated cars  for  fruit  and  vegetables,  connect  Florida  with  Montgomery, 
Atlanta,  Louisville,  Cincinnati,  Saint  Louis,  and  Chicago,  in  the  Westj 
Savannah,  Charleston,  Richmond,  Washington,  Baltimore,  Philadelphia, 
Kew  York,  and  Boston,  in  the  ISiorth,  thus  affording  the  largest  facili- 
ties for  rapid  transit  with  the  numerous  competing  lines,  and  the  ocean 
steamers  prevent  exorbitant  charges. 

The  completion  of  the  lines  of  railway  now  under  construction  will 
render  all  portions  of  the  State  immediately  accessible.  The  State  au- 
thorities have  granted  about  16,000,000  of  acres  of  her  swamp  lands  in 
aid  of  works  of  internal  improvements,  thus  giving  a  powerful  impetus 
to  these  enterprises,  while  Northern  capital  is  pushing  them  to  rapid 
completion. 

No  less  than  five  lines  of  railway  are  now  in  progress  in  East  Florida, 
running  south,  with  the  view  of  reaching  Tampa  Bay,  Charlotte  Harbor, 
Indian  River,  and  Key  West. 

1st.  The  Tropical  Railway,  an  extension  of  the  Peninsular,  is  progress- 
ing rapidly  from  Ocala  southward,  with  its  iron  purchased,  and  more 
than  a  thousand  hands  at  work. 

2d.  The  Florida  Southern,  from  Palatka  to  Gainesville,  is  pushing 
south  also  from  Ocala  to  the  eastward  of  the  Peninsula. 

3d.  The  South  Florida,  from  Sanford,  is  extending  southward  still 
farther  to  the  east. 

4th.  The  Live  Oak,  Rowlands  Bluff  and  Charlotte  Harbor  Railway 
is  backed  by  a  powerful  company. 

5th.  The  Jacksonville,  Saint  Augustine  and  Halifax  River  Railway 
is  under  construction,  from  Jacksonville  to  Saint  Augustine,  with  a 
view  to  an  ultimate  extension  down  the  coast  to  the  Indian  River. 

The  Atlantic  and  Western  Railway,  an  extension  of  the  Jacksonville, 
Pensacola  and  Mobile  Railway,  from  Chattahoochee  to  Pensacola,  is 
under  contract  and  being  rapidly  constructed,  with  a  view  to  immedi- 
ate completion. 

A  large  portion  of  the  route  of  the  Jacksonville,  Tampa  and  Key 
West  Railway  has  been  surveyed,  and  no  doubt  exists  of  the  early  com- 
mencement of  that  important  enterprise. 

Those  in  i)rocess  of  construction,  and  others  projected,  with  the  sys- 


88  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

tern  of  canals  connecting  the  lower  Saint  John's  with  Korth  Halifax  and 
Indian  Rivers,  and  the  Upper  Saint  John's  with  the  Kissimmee,  Lake^ 
Okeechobee,  and  Caloosahatchee,  when  all  completed,  will  give  Florida 
the  most  complete  system  of  internal  communication  of  any  Southern 
State,  and  render  her  one  of  the  wealthiest  and  most  desirable  for  resi- 
dence and  cultivation. 

FISHERIES. 

The  extent  and  wealth  of  the  fisheries  of  Florida  are,  beyond  compari- 
son, greater  than  any  other  State  of  the  Union.  Her  twelve  hundred 
miles  of  sea-coast  from  Fernandina  to  Key  West,  and  round  to  Cedar 
Keys  and  Pensacola,  with  the  extensive  bays  and  harbors,  abound  in 
turtle,  oysters,  and  sponge,  while  the  waters  teem  with  fish  in  the^ 
greatest  variety. 

It  has  been  remarked  by  an  experienced  observer  that  a  fee-simple  to^ 
three  miles  wide  of  her  coast  line  of  waters  was  more  valuable  than  the 
same  amount  of  land  adjacent.  The  annual  exportation  of  oysters,  fish, 
and  sponge  amounts  to  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars.  Hundreds  of 
families  in  Florida,  Georgia,  and  Alabama  annually  resort  to  the  sea- 
coast  and  gather  a  supply  of  fish,  with  which  they  return  home. 

State  legislation  has,  as  yet,  furnished  no  adequate  protection  for  these 
fisheries,  and  they  are  annually  used  by  fishermen  from  other  States, 
'^  without  money  and  without  price,''  and  the  State  derives  no  revenue. 

The  inland  waters,  too — the  rivers,  creeks,  innumerable  lakes  and 
ponds — all  abound  in  the  varieties  of  fresh-water  fish,  which  are  gath- 
ered without  let  or  hinderance  for  food  and  enriching  the  soil,  while  the 
supply  seems  inexhaustible.  With  proper  care  and  protection  against 
waste  and  destruction,  the  supply  would  last  for  generations  before  it 
became  necessary  to  resort  to  artificial  cultivation. 

STOCK   GROWING. 

Cattle  raising  has  long  beeu  one  of  the  most  lucrative  branches  of 
business  in  Florida.  In  large  portions  of  the  State,  notably  in  the  south- 
ern, the  growing  of  crops  has  been  neglected  for  the  all-absorbing  busi- 
ness of  cattle  raising,  which  is  attended  with  no  expense,  save  the  per- 
sonal supervision  of  the  herds,  and  in  gathering  the  stock  for  marking" 
and  for  market.  The  cattle  range  on  the  public  domain  through  the 
year,  and  the  plains,  savannas,  and  swamps  of  South  Florida  have 
afforded  pasturage  for  innumerable  herds,  from  which,  during  the  civil 
war,  the  Southern  army  drew  large  supplies,  and  from  which  the  mar- 
kets of  Key  West  and  Cuba  derive  their  i)resent  supply.  It  is  not  un- 
common to  find  men  owning  thousands  of  head  of  cattle  without  the 
proprietorship  of  lands,  and  many  of  the  herdsmen  count  their  stock 
by  tens  of  thousands.  The  ^profits  are  fabulous,  as  the  cost  oC  keeping 
the  cattle  is  only  the  expenditure  for  herding  and  marking,  no  food  being 
required  other  than  the  natural  supply.     The  annual  burning  of  the 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  89» 

grass,  which  has  long  prevailed  in  the  winter,  has  seriously  impoverished 
the  soil  and  reduced  the  quantity  of  grass,  so  that  the  native  stock  of 
later  grass  has  become  dwarfed  and  inferior.  As  population  increases,, 
and  the  lands  become  absorbed  by  settlers,  the  stock  range  becomes 
more  restricted,  improved  methods  are  being  adopted,  and  improved 
stock  introduced.  No  State  offers  greater  inducements  for  stock  grow- 
ing, either  upon  the  wild  method  heretofore  existing,  or  upon  the  system 
of  thorough  cultivation  and  high  breeding.  The  facilities  for  cultivat- 
ing green  forage  crops  during  the  winter,  when  the  grasses  become 
tough  and  innutritions,  afford  great  advantages  over  those  sections  of 
the  country  where  cattle  must  be  housed  and  fed  for  from  one-third  to 
one-half  the  year. 

The  raising  of  sheep  and  growing  of  wool  is  also  a  most  profitable 
industry,  as  sheep  thrive  through  the  year  on  the  natural  pasturage,  and 
require  no  care  except  herding  and  protection  from  vagrant  dogs,  of 
which  there  is  too  great  a  number.  With  no  legal  protection  against 
these  depredators  the  business,  when  it  has  been  prosecuted  as  a  reli- 
ance, has  yielded  from  33  to  90  per  cent.  i)er  annum  profits.  It  can  be 
seen  at  a  glance,  that  with  an  annual  increase  very  largely  greater  than 
in  the  cold  States,  and  no  expense  for  feed,  and  entire  exemption  from 
the  cold  northers  which  sweep  off  whole  flocks  in  the  West,  the  profits 
must  be  very  great  and  the  industry  so  remunerative  as  to  induce  a 
rapid  extension  of  the  business. 

Hogs  are  raised  more  cheaply  and  easily  here  than  in  the  colder 
climates.  They  do  well  '*on  the  range,"  as  in  the  winter  there  is  a  large 
8ui)ply  of  acorns,  and  in  the  swamps  and  hammocks  of  roots  and  native 
products.  There  is  no  reason  why  i)ork  should  not  be  raised  in  suffi- 
cient quantity  to  supply  the  home  market  at  least,  although  the  want 
of  frost,  or  freezing  weather,  is  not  conducive  to  profitable  packing  for 
export. 

Bee-keeping  is  rapidly  engaging  attention,  and  will  soon  become  a^ 
source  of  large  State  wealth  and  individual  revenue. 

THE   TREES  OF  FLORIDA. 

Dr.  A.  W.  Chapman,  of  Apalachicola,  author  of  the  Flora  of  the- 
Southern  States,  in  1875  made  a  journey  along  the  western  coast,  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  specimens  of  trees  for  the  Centennial  Exhibi- 
tion. He  made  a  thorough  exploration  from  Anclote  Keys  to  Cape  Sa- 
ble, and  ascended  the  Caloosahatchee.  The  following  is  the  list  of  trees 
obtained,  as  given  in  his  report: 

The  number  collected  exceeds  your  estimate  by  ten  species,  and  falls  short  of  my 
own  by  the  same  number.  I  believe  I  obtained  all  the  native  trees  known  down  there^, 
except  Simaruha,  and  perhaps  Calyptranthus,  if  it  is  a  tree.  I  found  several  trees  which, 
I  supposed  to  be  shrubs,  aud  vice  versa.  I  made  a  thorough  exploration  of  the  whole 
western  coast,  from  Anclote  Keys  to  Cape  Sable,  wherever  we  could  find  smooth 
"Water  for  safe  anchorage.    At  Charlotte  Harbor  I  diverged  from  the  cbast  and  ascended 


:90  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

Caloosaliatchee  River,  in  order  to  get  such  woods  as  do  not  grow  in  the  influenoe 
of  salt  air.  This  was  really  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  route.  Gigantic  Acro- 
stichums,  10  feet  high,  covering  acres,  Epiphtyes  loading  the  trees,  and  the  entire 
vegetation  tropical.  A  peculiarity  of  these  tropical  trees  is  that  for  miles  they  occur 
to  you  as  mere  shrubs,  when  at  some  other  locality  you  find  them  lofty  trees.  I  was 
much  disappointed  in  the  size  of  most  of  the  forest  growth  in  that  region.  On  the 
Keys  you  can  scarcely  anywhere  find  a  large  (or  rather  a  tall)  tree.  Some  of  these 
were  large  enough  at  the  base,  but  we  generally  found  such  hollow,  and  of  some  we 
never  did  find  a  sound  one.  You  will  be  disappointed,  as  I  was,  to  find  the  growth 
-so  small.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  a  tree,  during  the  trip,  2  feet  iu  diameter, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Live  Oak,  and  on  the  Keys  none  of  them  get  to  be  more  than 
^0  or  40  feet  high.  The  Mahogany  is  not  found  in  Florida,  and  should  be  erased  from 
the  Flora.  My  authority  for  introducing  it  was  a  pod  picked  up  on  the  beach  by  Dr. 
Leitner. 

Hibiscus  tiliaceus  was  not  seen  by  me,  and  I  think  Dr.  Blodgett  nnist  have  got  it 
from  cultivation.  In  Jamaica  it  is  a  shrub  12  to  15  feet  high.  Terminalia  is  not  a  native, 
and  is,  I  believe,  local  along  the  Saint  John's  or  near  Saint  Augustine.  The  others 
mentioned  I  did  not  meet  with  on  any  of  the  Keys  I  visited.  Whether  they  become 
trees  I  cannot  say,  for  I  forget  the  sources  of  my  information  regarding  1  hem  when 
writing  my  book.  It  was  of  course  impossible  to  visit  all  the  hundreds  of  Keys  along 
the  reefs,  and  it  is  probable  that  these  omissions  may  occur  on  more  westwardly  ones 
than  those  I  visted. 

The  following  is  a  modified  arrangement  of  Dr.  Chapman's  list  of 
Florida  trees : 

Anona  (Custard  Apple). — No  flowers  or  fruit ;  15  to  20  feet  high.  The  fruit  is  said  to  be 
egg-shaped,  H  inches  in  diameter,  and  eatable  when  fully  ripe. 

Capparis  Jamacencis  (Caper-tree). — A  low  tree. 

-Canclla  alba. 

Guaiacum  sanctum  (Lignum  Vitae). — Only  found,  if  I  am  rightly  informed,  on  the  Lig- 
num Vita^  Keys,  and  quite  rare  there. 

Xanihoxylum  Pteroia,  12  to  20  feet  high. 

Bursera  gummifera  (Gumbo  Limbo,  Gummer  Limmer). — The  largest  of  South  Florida 
trees,  abounding  in  gum. 

Amyris  Floridiana  (Torch-wood).— Mostly  shrubby. 

Xymenia  Americana  (Hog  Plum).— 2  to  20  feet  high. 

Sehaefferia  frutiscens  (Crab-wood). — A  small  tree. 

Sapindus  (White-wood).— This  is  scarcely  the  tree  of  the  Southern  States  and  of  my 
-t'lora ;  I  suspect  it  is  S.  saponaria. 

Hypelate  paniculata  (Maderia-wood). — This  wood  is  very  like  Mahogany,  and  is  highly 
valued.     It  is  not  abundant,  and  was  only  found  on  Metacumba  Keys. 

Bhus  meiopium,  20  to  30  feet  high.    It  is  very  poisonous,  and  we  all  got  peppered  by  it. 

Biscidia  et-ythrina  (Dog-wood). — A  rather  large  tree. 

jPithecolobium  unguis-caii. — Rarely  a  small  tree. 

BhizopJiora  mangle  (Red  Mangrove). — Commonly  a  low  spreading  tree.  On  the  Thou- 
sand Islands  it  attains  its  largest  size— 40  to  60  feet.  All  the  low  Keys  are  formed  by 
this  tree. 

•€onobarpus  erecia  (White  Buttonwood.) — It  comprises  almost  the  only  fuel  used  in 
Southern  Florida,  and  extends  north  as  far  as  Auclote  Keys. 

Xuguneularia  racemosa  (Black  Buttonwood). — A  small  tree  everywhere,  or  a  mere  shrub, 
except  among  the  Thousand  Jslands  and  north  of  Cape  Sable,  where  it  forms  a 
large  tree. 

-Eugenia  buxifolia  (Iron-wood). — 25  to  30  feet  high. 

Eugenia  Monticola. — South  Florida;  about  30  feet  high. 

Eugenia  ( ). 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  91 

Euf/mia  ( ),  near  dichofoma,  but  probably  distinct.     This  was  only  seen  at  Cax- 

imbiis  Bay,  and  was  called  ''naked-wood." 
Ewiema  (Stopper-wood). — A  small  tree,  in  fruit. 
Guettards  Blodgetti. — Mostly  a  shrub. 

Raudia  clusiofoUa  (Seven-years'  Apple). — With  flowers  and  fruit. 
Sideroxylon  padUlum  (Mastic). — A  middle-sized  tree. 
Sideroxi/Ion  padlUum,  var.  sphm'ocarinim. — A  small  tree. 
Sideroxylon. — A  large  tree. 

^hrysophyllum  mifroophyUiim. — 6  to  ^JO  feet  high. 

Mimusops  Sieherl. — A  large  tree.     We  found  the  trunk  invariably  hollow. 
BnmeJia  parvifoUa. — A  shrub  or  small  tree. 

Jaquinia  armiUaris. — A  rather  small  tree  with  most  curiously  grained  wood. 
Myrsine  Floridana. — Mostly  a  shrub;  rarely  a  small  tree. 
Ardisia  Pickeriugii. — Mostly  a  shrub,  but  on  the  Keys  a  small  tree. 
Vitharexylon  viJIosum  (Fiddle-wood). — Rarely  a  small  tree. 

Avicenna  ohlongifolia  (Black  Mangrove). — Only  a  tree  among  the  Thousand  Islands. 
Avicennia  tomentosa  (Black  Mangrove). — At  Cedar  Keys  only. 
Pisonia  ohtusaia. — With  male  Howers. 
CocGoloha  Floridana. — 20  to  30  feet  high.     In  fruit. 
Coccoloha  nhifera  (Sea-side  Grape). — In  fruit. 
Persea  Catesbaei. — No  flowers  or  fruit. 
Drypetes  crocea. — A  small  tree. 
Mcus  anrea  (Wild  Fig). — A  large  tree  full  of  milky  juice.     It  is  also  called  gum-tree,  and 

the  juice  forms  a  kind  of  India  rubber. 
Ficns. — Perhaps  the  same  as  the  preceding. 
(Silver  Palmetto  or  Silver  Cabbage  Tree). — The  berries  are  white,  but  in  the 

absence  of  flowers  the  genus  is  doubtful.     It  attains  a  height  of  30  to  40  feet.     It 

occurs  flrst  at  Cape  Roraauo,  and  is  found  sparingly  on  the  mainland  southward.     It 

is  more  common  on  the  Keys,  but  I  never  heard  of  it  before. 
Yucca  aJoifolia.     I  found  this  from  Manatee  southward,  15  to  25  feet  high. 
Finns  clausa,  X.  sp. — At  Apalachicola.    Dr.  Engelmaun  is  doubtful.     Perhaps  it  may 

be  a  variety  of  P.  inojys. 

ORANGE   STATISTICS   OF  FLORIDA. 

Judge  A.  A.  Kuigbt,  the  supervisor  of  the  Tenth  Census  for  the  State 
of  Florida,  was,  in  addition  to  his  other  duties,  intrusted  with  the  task 
of  ascertaining  the  number  of  bearing  orange  trees  in  the  State,  and 
their  production  for  the  year  1881.  He  has  kindly  permitted  me  to 
take  the  following  figures  from  the  papers  in  his  office.  Twenty-five 
thousand  circulars  were  issued,  which  elicited  about  70  per  cent,  of  re- 
l)lies.  Twenty-five  of  the  thirty-niue  counties  in  the  State  are  embraced 
in  the  report,  fourteen  failing  to  return  replies.  The  deficiency  in  this 
direction  is  conterbalanced  by  the  supplement  which  closes  the  report* 
It  is  expected  that  the  yield  of  fruit  will  very  rapidly  increase  from 
this  time  forward,  both  from  the  large  number  of  new  groves  coming  into 
bearing  with  each  succeeding  year,  and  the  increased  productiveness 
^f  the  older  trees. 


92 


FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS,    ETC. 
REPORT. 


Counties. 

Number  of 
bearing  trees. 

Yield  in  1881. 

Value. 

^iRolins                                -•        -  ..... 

13,  111 

21 

3,377 

10,  884 

841 

738 

436 

500 

10, 131 

No  report 

Number. 

2,  250,  000 

9,450 
338,  850 
1,  250,  000 
282,  400 
165,  700 
157,  850 
500,  000 

3,  000,  000 

$33,  750  00> 
141  75 

Bradford                                

4  815  50 

Brevard  .........■...■■.•...■••• .. ..............   .. 

18  750  OO 

nallinnTi                                   ..                                     . .... 

4  170  50 

Clay          

2,  522  25 

Columbia 

2,  741  OO 

7,  500  00 
45,  000  00 

Duval 

Escambia           . 

Franklin 

do 

Gadsden                    .........   ..  .....   ................ 

.  do 

do 

Hernando                    .     ..     ......     ..     ......... 

7,685 
18,  683 
No  report 

2,  500,  000 
4,  409, 150 

37, 500  00 
45,410  25 

Holmes                                                                    ... 

...  do  

...do 

La  Fayette -• • 

1,157 

43,  800 

662  00' 

Levv               ..           ....            ........................ 

1,460 

500,  000 

7,  500  00 

Libertv 

Madison                                                                .  ......  .... 

594 
17,  291 
46, 195 

500 
No  report 

512,  900 
2,  000,  000 
6,  000,  000 

500,  000 



7,  685  OO 
30,  000  OO 
90,  000  00 

7, 500  00 

Manatee 

Marion                                   ...                        ... 

Nassau             L                                                          .... 

Orange                           .               .....   .............. .... 

29,  049 

2,  283 

64,170 

4,  000,  000 
1,  500,  000 
7, 120,  631 

30,  000  OO 

Polk    

22,500  OO 

Putnam                                       .         ..       ................... 

108,  414  80 

Santa  Rosa 

Saint  John's                                   .        .               ........... 

12,  006 

13,  029 
157 

1,846 

24,638 

No  report 

2,  000,  000 

2,  250,  000 

120,  700 

255,  200 

4,  000,  000 

30,  000  00 
33,  750  OO 

Sumter               ..   ..   ........................ 

2,060  OO 

Taylor 

2,747  50 

Volusia 

60,000  OO 

Wakulla                                                  .               

Walton 

do 

; 

W  ashinffton 

...do 

■j 

Supplement     ........  .....  ............ ............ 

11,  536 

451,  225 

7,056  10 

Total         

292,  324 

46,  097,  856 

672, 176  65- 

Respectfully  submitted. 


GEORGE  B.  OARSE. 


FLORIDA  :  ITS  SOIL,  EESOUECES,  AKD  MEAKS  OF  TEANS- 

POETATIOX. 


For  reliable  information  in  regard  to  all  points  of  agricultural  interest 
I  must  confine  myself  in  this  report  to  the  counties  of  Nassau,  Duval, 
Clay,  Saint  John^s,  Yolusia,  Orange,  Marion,  Brevard,  and  Putnam. 

NASSAU  COUNTY. 

This  county  contains  an  area  of  600  square  miles,  and  has  but  about 
4,000  acres  under  cultivation  owing  to  the  fact  that  much  of  the  land 
is  "pine  barrens"  and  "flat- wood"  country,  of  but  little  value  to  agri- 
culturists. Scattered  along  the  river  is  some  land  which  produces 
grazing  for  cattle,  a  limited  amount  of  long-staple  cotton,  corn,  pota- 
toes, and  peaches.  Here  fertilizers  are  necessary,  and  winter  vegeta- 
bles are  liable  to  be  nipped  by  the  frost  j  still,  the  annual  yield  of  farm 
products  reaches  the  value  of  $50,000,  consisting  chiefly  of  cattle,  swine, 
poultry,  corn,  potatoes,  and  peaches. 

This  county  is  well  supplied  with  railroads,  and  may  have  a  prosper- 
ous future,  shouhl  its  people,  the  great  majority  of  whom  were  once 
slaves,  ever  attain  to  that  state  of  intelligence  indispensable  to  agricult- 
ural success.  Fernandina,  the  county  seat,  has  a  fine  harbor  and  quite 
ii  lumber  trade. 

This  county  cannot  be  recommended  for  the  raising  of  oranges  or  of 
the  semi-tropical  fruits,  but  may  be  reasonably  successful  with  the  or- 
dinary farm  crops. 

DUVAL  COUNTY. 

With  an  area  of  860  square  miles  this  county  has  only  about  5,000 
acres  of  land  under  cultivation.  While  the  greater  part  of  the  soil  is 
light  and  sandy,  there  are  some  tracts  of  rich  "hammock"  which  may 
be  utilized  for  the  cultivation  of  rice,  corn,  potatoes,  cane,  and  cotton ; 
but  it  is  to  much  exposed  to  the  cold  northwest  winds  for  the  success- 
ful raising  of  oranges  or  of  the  semi-tropical  fruits,  with  the  exception 
of  that  portion  east  of  the  Saint  John's  Eiver.  Here,  as  elsewhere  in 
this  State,  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Saint  John's  is  much  better  protected 
from  the  cold  than  the  western  banks,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  cold 
northwest  winds  are  considerably  warmed  in  passing  over  this  wide 
expanse  of  water.  Although  the  county  is  much  frequented  by  in- 
valids, the  climate  is  not  conducive  to  the  health  of  those  suffering  from 
pulmonary  or  bronchial  diseases,  as  the  changes  in  temperature  are  very' 

93 


94  FLOJIIDA:     ITS    CLIMATE, 

sudden  aud  severe,  ice  being  frequently  formed  near  the  mouth,  of  the 
river,  immediately  followed  by  very  hot  weather.  The  annual  farm  ])ro- 
ductions  are  valued  at  about  150,000,  consisting  principally  of  cattle,  milk,, 
butter,  swine,  poultry,  rice,  cotton,  j^otatoes,  and  molasses.  The  means 
of  transportation  in  this  county  are  ample,  both  by  rail  and  by  water, 
the  rates  here,  as  elsewhere  in  this  State,  averaging  about  five  cents  per 
mile  by  rail,  and  three  cents  per  mile  by  steamer.  Jacksonville,  with 
its  numerous  hotels,  furnishes  a  good  market  for  garden  farmers.  Land 
in  the  city  commands  very  high  prices,  building  lots  being  frequeutly 
sold  at  the  rate  of  several  thousands  of  dollars  per  acre.  Skilled  farm- 
ers, with  the  aid  of  fertilizers,  can  do  well  in  some  parts  of  this  county, 

CLAY  COUNTY. 

With  an  area  of  425  square  miles.  Clay  County  has  about  4,000  acres 
of  land  under  cultivation,  and  raises  farm  productions  to  the  value  of 
about  $64,000  yearly,  including  some  cotton  and  sugar.  There  are 
several  fine  lakes  in  this  county,  containing  many  excellent  food-tish ; 
but  lands  must  be  selected  here  with  great  care  to  avoid  malarious 
districts,  and  it  should  not  be  recommended  for  raising  fruit  of  the  Citrus 
family,  though  many  trees  are  being  set  out  near  Green  Cove  Springs, 
the  county  seat,  which  may  succeed  in  sheltered  places  protected  by 
heavily-timbered  pine  lauds.  There  is  considerable  yellow-pine  timber 
in  this  region,  with  some  rich  hammock  lands,  well  adapted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  the  ordinary  farm  crops.  No  railroad  is  found  in  the  county, 
and  it  has  but  a  small  population,  with  no  large  towns.  There  are  several 
hotels  at  the  county  seat,  but  those  afflicted  with  pulmonary  or  bron- 
chial elifificulties  should  go  farther  back  among  the  pines,  away  from  the 
chilling,  damp  night  air  of  the  Saint  John's. 

SAINT  JOHN'S  COUNTY. 

This  county  contains  970  square  miles,  and  has  but  about  3,000  acres 
under  cultivation,  owing  to  the  fact  that  it  is  mostly  a  ''■  flat  pine-woods 
and  palmetto-scrub  country,"  with  but  little  rich  hammock  land.  Its 
location,  hoAvever,  between  the  Saint  John's  Eiver  and  the  Atlantic 
renders  it  more  exempt  from  frost  and  better  adapted  to  fruit  culture 
than  more  interior  counties  in  the  same  latitude.  Colonel  Hart's  famous 
orange  groves  are  located  in  this  county,  opposite  Palatka,  and  demon- 
strate the  fact  that  with  skillful  cultivation  and  the  aid  of  fertilizers 
excellent  oranges  can  be  raised  here.  The  farm  productions  amount  to 
over  $90,000  per  annum,  including  considerable  rice,  sugar,  cotton,  po- 
tatoes, and  corn.  Here  skilled  labor,  backed  by  energy  and  sufficient 
ready  money  to  tide  the  settler  over  for  a  few  years,  will  in  due  time  reap  its' 
reward ;  but  the  impecunious  and  the  ignorant  will  find  no  bonanza  in 
Florida.  This  county  has  but  one  railroad,  that  connecting  Saint  Au- 
gustine with  the  Saint  John's  at  Tocoi,  fourteen  miles  in  length,  over 
which  the  fare  is  $2. 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  U5 

MARION   COUNTY. 

Comprising  an  area  of  1,000  square  miles,  and  having  nearly  50,000- 
acres  under  cultivation,  this  county  contains  some  of  the  richest  and 
most  elevated  land  in  in  the  State.  The  high  hammock  lands  are  exten- 
sive and  very  productive,  but  much  better  adapted  to  the  raising  of 
vegetables  than  to  the  development  of  healthy  men,  and  much  care 
must  be  taken  in  locating  dwellings,  or,  as  in  the  West,  fever  and  ague 
will  take  off  all  the  profits  for  the  benefit  of  the  doctor.  Although  there 
are  some  flourishing  groves  in  sheltered  places  near  Ocala,  oranges  there 
are  liable  to  suffer  from  frosts,  and  the  extreme  eastern  and  southern 
portions  of  the  county  are  better  suited  to  the  culture  of  the  Citrus  family 
of  fruits.  Farm  productions  are  raised  in  this  county  to  the  value 
of  $300,000  yearly,  including  principally  corn,  potatoes,  rice,  molasses^ 
and  poultry.  Lands  near  transportation  are  held  at  high  figures,  and 
there  is  but  little  government  land  to  be  obtained. 

Two  railroads  run  through  this  count}^,  and  the  means  of  transporta- 
tion will  soon  be  exceptionally  good  via  these  roads  and  the  Oeklawaha 
River,  which  is  navigated  by  two  lines  of  steamers  from  Silver  Springs 
to  and  over  the  Saint  John's.  There  are  some  beautiful  lakes  in  this^ 
county,  the  eastern  shores  of  which  are  well  adapted  to  orange  culture^ 
being  thus  protected  from  the  cold  "north  west  winds.  Considerable  game 
is  found  in  the  heavy-timbered  tracts,  and  food-fish  abound  in  the 
lakes  and  rivers.  The  Florida  Southern  Railroad,  owned  by  Boston 
capitalists,  is  developing  an  extensive  and  profitable  lumber  trade  along 
its  line,  and  many  of  the  settlers  build  houses,  barns,  and  fences  with 
the  beautiful  yellow  pine,  green  from  the  saw-mill.  Industrious  settlers 
who  can  afford  to  wait  until  the  acidity  of  the  soil  is  removed  by  culti- 
vation will  succeed  here,  provided  they  can  secure  good  land  at  reason* 
able  prices.  No  injurious  acids  are  found  in  the  hard- wood  lands,  but 
unless  great  care  is  taken  the  farmer  will  suffer  from  chdls  during  the 
first  year's  cultivation. 

BREYABD   COUNTY. 

Containing  an  area  of  4,000  square  miles,  this  county  has  but  2,00(> 
acres  under  cultivation.  Much  of  this  county  is  composed  of  '^  flat 
lands,"  often  overflowed  and  not  easily  drained,  with  a  stiff-clay  subsoil, 
through  which  the  tap-root  of  the  orange  tree  cannot  i)enetrate  to  water; 
consequently  the  Citrus  family  of  fruits  will  not  thrive  in  the  greater 
part  of  this  region.  Along  the  banks  of  the  Indian  River,  however, 
excellent  oranges  and  semi-tropical  fruits  are  raised ;  but  the  land  in 
this  county  adapted  to  such  culture  is  limited  in  extent,  and  is  held  at 
high  prices.  Oysters,  fish,  and  game  abound  in  some  localities,  and 
much  good  grazing  land  is  found ;  but  malaria  must  be  carefully  guarded 
against,  and  there  is  but  comparatively  little  land  in  the  county  adapted 
to  the  w^ants  of  people  from  the  North  for  a  permanent  residence.    Yearly 


■f)6  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS, 

farm  productions  are  valued  at  about  $47,000,  including  principally 
<;attle,  swine,  rice,  and  potatoes.  The  South  Florida  Railroad  extends 
40  miles  from  Sanford,  on  Lake  Monro,  Orange  County,  to  Lake  Kis- 
simee,  Brevard  County.  Titusville,  the  county  seat,  is  reached  by  a 
long  steamboat  ride  from  Lake  Monro  to  Eock  Ledge,  and  thence  by 
carriage.  Drainage  may  open  large  tracts  of  rich  lands  to  the  settler; 
but  until  then  this  region  is  more  attractive  to  the  sportsman  than  to 
the  agriculturist. 

VOLUSIA   COUNTY. 

This  county  contains  1,800  square  miles,  and  has  but  4,000  acres 
under  cultivation.  The  eastern  portion  along  the  Halifax  River  com- 
prises some  rich  hammock  lands,  which  in  years  past  have  produced 
great  quantities  of  sugar,  and  with  good  cultivation  ma}^  again  yield 
much  cane.  West  of  this  belt  is  a  vast  prairie,  iuterspersed  with  pine 
and  cabbage  palmetto,  affording  excellent  pasturage  to  large  herds  of 
cattle  during  the  entire  year.  On  the  extreme  west,  extending  from  the 
northern  end  of  the  county  south  about  30  miles,  is  a  rolling  pine  country, 
on  which  are  hundreds  of  young  orange  groves;  from  this  southward 
is  a  rolling  pine  scrub  until  the  Saint  John^s  is  reached,  with  its  vary- 
ing banks  of  hammock  and  savanna. 

With  much  care  to  avoid  miasmatic  swamps,  and  the  chills  which 
arise  from  newly-plowed  rich  hammock  lands,  desirable  farms  may  be 
found  in  this  region,  which,  when  cleared  and  dispossessed  of  their  acidity 
by  cultivation,  will  produce  semi-tropical  fruits  and  vegetables  in  abun- 
dance. At  present  the  yearly  farm  i)roductions  are  valued  at  $60,000, 
including  principally  cattle,  poultry,  cotton,  molasses,  and  potatoes. 
The  present  yield  of  lumber  is  one  and  one-half  millions  of  feet  per  an- 
num, which  can  be  increased  almost  indefinitely. 

Transportation  is  confined  to  steamers  on  the  Saint  John^s  River,  but 
several  railroads  are  chartered.  Enterprise,  the  county  seat,  has  demon- 
strated the  important  fact  that  oranges  and  vegetables  can  be  raised  at 
a  profit  by  skilled  laborers,  with  the  aid  of  fertilizers,  the  most  popular 
of  which  is  that  made  by  George  B.  Forrester,  of  New  York. 

ORANGE   COUNTY. 

Orange  County,  comprising  2,300  square  miles,  and  having  14,000 
acres  under  cultivation,  is  generall  rolling  pine  land,  interspersed  with 
large  lakes,  rich  hamnlocks,  and  comparatively  worthless  flat  pine  landls, 
all  more  or  less  heavily  timbered.  Stock-raising  has  been  the  predominant 
industry  until  recently,  with  cotton,  corn,  and  cane;  but  now  fruit  cult- 
ure is  absorbing  general  attention,  and  the  orange,  lemon,  lime,  guava^ 
pine-apple,  and  banana  are  cultivated  to  considerable  extent.  The  South 
Florida  Railroad  runs  from  Sanford  southerly  through  the  county,  which, 
with  a  short  road  from  Astor,  on  the  Saint  John's,  to  Lake  Eustis,  to- 
gether with  the  numerous  Saint  John's  steamers,  furnish  exceptionally 


AND    AGRICULTURAL    CAPABILITIES.  97 

good  facilities  for  transportation.  The  more  desirable  lands  near  the 
towns  are  held  at  high  prices ;  bnt  still,  by  using  much  care  to  avoid 
unhealthful  localities  industrious  and  skillful  agriculturists  may  obtain 
good  homes.  Successful  ice  manufactories  have  been  established,  and 
by  using  cistern  water  many  Northerners  live  here  all  the  year  in  toler- 
able comfort.  The  yearly  farm  productions,  consisting  chiefly  of  cattle, 
poultry,  rice,  corn,  potatoes,  molasses,  and  honey,  are  valued  at  $100,000, 
and  many  fine  orange  and  lemon  groves  may  be  seen  about  Sanford, 
Orlando,  Bell  aire,  and  Altamont. 

PUTNAM  COUNTY. 

Comprising  over  800  square  miles,  with  1,500  acres  under  cultivation, 
this  is  in  many  respects  the  most  desirable  and  flourishing  county  in  the 
State.  The  numerous  lines  of  steamers  on  the  Saint  Johns'  together 
with  the  South  Florida  Railroad,  aftbrd  facilities  for  transportation  un- 
excelled in  the  State.  Many  beautiful  lakes  are  found  in  this  region, 
fully  stocked  with  excellent  food  fish,  and  game  in  many  parts  is  abun- 
dant. The  portion  of  the  county  lying  east  of  the  Saint  John's  is  appro- 
priately called  the  "  Fruit-land  Peninsula,"  and  is  very  fertile,  containing 
also  celebrated  sulphur  and  medicinal  springs,  which  are  much  frequented 
by  the  sick  from  all  the  adjacent  region.  The  county  contains  a  great 
variety  of  soil,  high  and  low  hammock,  high  rolling  pine  land,  much  of 
which  is  heavily  timbered  with  hickory,  oak,  and  yellow  pine.  Many  of 
the  finest  orange  groves  in  the  State  are  found  here,  and  more  than  5,000 
acres  are  devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  the  orange  alone,  while  cotton- 
rice,  sugar,  corn,  sweet  potatoes,  and  all  the  semi-tropical  fruits  form  a 
permanent  reliance  for  agricultural  industry.  Palatka,  the  county  seat, 
is  a  very  flourishing  city,  connected  by  rail  and  telegraph  with  all  parts 
of  the  State  which  have  railroad  communications.  San  Mateo  and  Cres- 
cent City  are  flourishing  towns,  and  the  county  is  rapidly  filling  up  with 
a  good  class  of  people  from  the  Northern  and  Western  States.  The 
yearly  farm  productions  amount  to  nearly  $200,000,  comprising  princi- 
pally cattle,  butter,  milk,  swine,  poultry,  rice,  grain,  cotton,  sugar,  sweet 
potatoes,  and  honey. 

GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS. 

This  completes  the  list  of  localities  visited  by  me,  and  they  are  in 
many  respects  the  best  counties  in  the  State. 

Except  near  the  sea-coast  marshes,  mosquitoes  are  not  very  trouble- 
some, and  the  noxious  insects  and  reptiles  avoid  the  settlements  and 
generally  confine  themselves  to  the  overflowed  lands  and  swamps. 

While  much  of  the  soil  in  this  State  is  practically  worthless  in  its 

present  state,  there  are  large  tracts  in  the  aggregate  which  are  rendered 

very  productive  by  the  peculiar  character  of  the  climate  and  by  the 

subterranean  waters  to  which  the  roots  of  the  trees  find  access,  thereby 

8G4m 7 


98  FLORIDA:    ITS    CLIMATE,    SOIL,    PRODUCTIONS,   ETC 

causing  the  trees  of  the  Citrus  family  to  flourish  even  during  protracted 
drouglits  which  in  the  I^orth  would  destroy  every  living  thing.  . 

There  is  a  great  demand  for  a  government  experiment  station  in  Florida, 
which  would  be  of  incalculable  service  in  showing  the  people  what  can 
be  raised  here  and  the  best  methods  of  culture. 

The  tea  plants  sent  to  this  State  hy  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
have  not  received  proper  care ;  but  the  few  that  have  survived  the  neg- 
lect demonstrate  the  fact  that  tea  can  be  grown  here  successfully  by 
intelligent  culture. 

It  is  believed  by  thoughtful  men  that  many  tropical  products  can  be 
raised  here  in  sufficient  quantity  to  save  to  the  nation  many  millions  of 
dollars  annually  which  are  now  sent  to  foreign  countries.  I  refer  espe- 
cially to  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  silk,  and  the  many  articles  of  commerce  now 
imported  from  the  Indies,  China,  and  Japan. 

Colored  laborers  are  hired  here  at  wages  averaging  about  $1  per  day, 
without  board. 

Orange  trees  four  years  from  the  seed  and  one  year  from  the  bud  will 
boar  fruit  in  from  three  to  four  years. 

Orange  trees  can  be  bought  at  prices  ranging  from  twenty-five  to 
seventy-five  cents  each,  and  they  should  be  set  out  during  the  months 
of  November,  December,  or  January. 

Lemon  trees  bear  fruit  in  four  years  from  the  setting. 

Bananas  are  produced  in  eighteen  months  from  the  setting,  and  rijien 
from  June  to  December. 

The  transportation 'of  a  box  of  oranges  from  Sanford  to  IS^ew  York 
costs  about  45  cents. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  while  oranges  begin  to  ripen  in  October,  they 
may  be  left  upon  the  tree  without  material  deterioration  for  twelve 
months  after  they  are  ready  for  use. 

Hoping  this  report  may  be  of  service  to  the  most  important  of  all  our 
government  departments,  as  well  as  to  the  interests  of  agriculture  at 
large, 

I  remain  yours,  very  truly, 

JAMES  H.  FOSS. 


fl^^'. 


lU     f^bO^. 


A 


w  ."  J 


♦7^  C 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNXA  IvIBB^^Y 


r— T  ^^ 


^^^v^\X  i 


'^^:^r>^^^ 

^^> 

A^ti^^lHra 

Wi^xmi'm 

M 

%, 

all 

k^f^''^ 

%l/ 


P^.(^^" 


/^ 


i/;?/ 


!i^.:_:.. 


